no ideas? Anyone???

Ann,

Fortunately, I have not yet had to deal with this issue. However, at this point, what have you got to lose? Trying anything is better than just watching it die.

What color are the roots? I know that the rule of thumb is: white roots are healthy roots and rotted roots will be dark and smelly. If not, maybe your plant has another disease??? Just wondering...I thought it was pretty hard for the roots to rot in a drained pot. After all, they like the continuous moisture they just don't like soup. I find it almost impossible to over water a hydrangea around here. Did you have a hole in the bottom of the pot?....yg

Well, I don't know. I killed my Queen's Lace last year the same way. This is a cheapo unidentified big leaf, but it IS a hydrangea. Plastic pots seem to be the downfall. The one it started out in had holes, but this one is just big, with rocks in the very bottom. The dirt around it is dry, but the root ball stayed wet. I think I will try the bleach.

Ann -

Was it a florist hydrangea? Like one you'd buy in the grocery store or gift section of the nursery?

If it is, even if it's a known garden variety, it may just be in shock. Potted Hydrangeas grown for the gift and pot trade are often forced and overfed to produce maximum growth and bloom.

They may bloom beautifully and then lose all their leaves until there is nothing but stems left. But as long as you have good stems, don't be surprised to see new buds coming out eventually. You might even get new growth from the roots.

If it is a garden variety, it may take a year or two to adjust in the garden and reacclimate to a regular growth cycle.

But I've gotten some of my favorite varieties that way (Like Fuji Waterfall) on the sale table for next to nothing after they'd past their prime as "gift" hyrangeas.

This was not done up in ribbons and foil on the pot, but it was awfully lot like that. I got it at Lowe's after the early demand had petered out. It was in full bloom on a small plant just like the gift ones, and it had no name. It came out again nicely last year, which was its second year and did just fine. This year, it was leafing out in their usual promising way until the leaves just wilted and withered. The roots are so dark, I'm thinking they're bad, but then again, I wonder if they darken up when exposed to air. I was hoping to dry them out, is why I did that. They seemed to be dying anyway, it looked like "nothing to lose" time. Thanks. I may put it aside and just see what happens next year.