Hydrangeas not doing well

9 years ago

I have two hydrangea plants in pots on my deck. I have full sun and I live in Charleston. One of the hydrangeas is doing well, big and green with purple blooms, the other blooms more but it's slowly dying away. I have attached photos. I'm getting married in two weeks and I was hoping to incorporate some of my blue hydrangeas into my bouquet so a quick solution would be great, but any solution would be much appreciated. I have poked small holes in the planters so that the excess water from rain drains out. They are side by side so get the same amount of sun and rain. They also were purchased from the same store, use the same soil, and have the same companion plans. I have done a bit of pruning as parts of it die. Thank you so much.

Featured Answer

luis_pr

9 years ago

Try putting the pots where they get morning sun until 11am-12pm and then afternoon/evening shade. Here is in the South, they do best in part shade or dappled sun locations.

Try watering them such that the potting soil is as evenly moist -not wet, not dry- as you can. Periods of fry soil, followed by periods of wet soil and back to dry cause leaves to dry out and some stems may also die as well.

Periodically check to make sure that the roots are not starting to grow around the sides of pots.

Replace the amendments that leech out due to the extra watering that potted plants need. This will help maintain the acidity of the soil and add aluminum to replace the aluminum that went down the drain with the water.

You can trim dead wood at any time.

I am not sure if your soil is potting soil or if it has soil from the garden. I would suggest to use all potting soil for plants like azaleas, camellias and or hydrangeas with no soil from the garden.

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Comments (6)

October_Gardens
9 years ago
Congrats! You're not supposed to grow hydrangea macrophylla in full sun, especially in the South, and especially in containers in full sun.

Consider a florist either way. It's a nominal cost compared to the rest of the wedding. If you do your own boquet you're running a big risk. Fortunately for me my wife had a gym buddy who's a florist and we got extremely large hydrangea arrangements for both the ceremony and tables.
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NHBabs z4b-5a NH
9 years ago
I would have a backup for wedding bouquet flowers since even the most experienced gardeners have a backup plan for wedding flowers. It is really difficult to time bloom to a specific day.
colonialgp
9 years ago
Find a cemetery with hydrangea bushes if you are on a budget. Or maybe the Dorothy Perkins roses are growing wild by the roadside now.
nicholsworth Z6 Indianapolis
9 years ago
colonialgp..didn't your parents teach you not to take things that don't belong to you?..it's called stealing..
gardengal48 (PNW Z8/9)
9 years ago
Hydrangea flowers also have a tendency to wilt rapidly if not picked at the right stage and at the right time of day.

Was doing the wedding flowers for my SS's wedding in early July - peak of hydrangea season here. His bride to be brought me all the hydrangea blossoms she could scrape together from her garden for the bouquets but even plunged into a bucket of cold water, they wilted over night. So we toured around the surrounding neighborhoods looking for gardens with big flowering hydrangeas, knocked on the doors, explained the situation and asked nicely if they could spare a few. No one turned us down!!

Avoid picking fully developed flowers and don't pick a midday - early morning or at dusk. And carry a bucket of water with you to plunge the cut stems in immediately.