Luis,

i technically could relocate the hydrangeas but I’d rather not as they would not serve the same aesthetic purpose behind my house as they currently serve in the front. I can, though, remove some of the fabric.....how much do you suggest removing? About a 1 foot perimeter from the base of the plant? More?

As for watering, is this monitoring something I need to do for the first year? Or for the life of the plant? I trust nature offers a partial solution do this for a majority of the year....is that right or do hydrangeas require more than what nature typically drops from the sky?

thank you for helping.

Does anyone know how much fabric I need to cut ?

Thabk you

Look at the plant label and ck the estimated width of the plant. Assume the roots will cover about that area too, more or less. If you think the shrubs will be there decades from now then assume wider.

Luis

thank you. Is this true for all plants or just ones I transplant? Should I be removing the fabric from around the base of my established trees too?

Thanks

There are some plants that have issues with this type of fabric. And some people have opinions for/against it. I do not go either way, I just have not had a need for it (mulching typically keeps this weed problem at bay if I do a clean up of weeds in Spring). I would remove it around trees that are already established and maybe use mulch & put a metal barrier around those trees that are fruit trees.

If they were mine, I would remove all the fabric. The bed will get weeds as seeds blow in from other places, and when the roots reach the fabric, they become difficult to remove. If any is exposed to light it breaks down. It also interferes with movement of water, nutrients, and air to and from the soil, so isn’t good for plants. It can be useful under paths, but I never use it in garden spaces and usually use a combination of mulch and groundcovers under shrubs. Where my DH used some without my knowledge, it is so grown into with roots that I cannot remove it. Here is a search for landscape fabric in the perennials forum for you to check out others’ experience, but it is equally a problem with shrubs.

https://www.gardenweb.com/gardenweb/query/“Landscape-fabric”/topic=peren

https://www.gardenweb.com/discussions/1626279/what-size-hole-for-perennials-in-landscape-fabric?n=22

Watching water and soil moisture carefully may help with the scorching (check both the original rootball and the surrounding soil), and you can give them temporary shade screens until they settle in more, but I think that they will continue to be unhappy in that much afternoon sun in zone 6 unless you are north of me. Aesthetically, an unhappy plant is pretty much a bust, so the first requirement is to meet their needs. There are panicled hydrangeas that would likely be fine in afternoon sun. My Hydrangea paniculata shrubs in central NH get sun almost from sun up to sundown, and there are cultivars to suit most size needs. They all start tinted green, turn white, and then end pink to tan, but different cultivars spend different time in each color, and the intensity of pink and size and shape of bloom clusters varies.

NHbabs,

i am south of you and thank you for the long reply.....it sounds like I picked poorly. As I already made this choice I’d like to do the best I can for at least this year and start over in the fall/spring if these aren’t going to work ..... what’s your best advice? Apply more shade?

they don’t get direct sunlight all afternoon as there are some evergreen trees between my house and the neighbors so the sun is broken from that. Also the direct sun ends closer to about 7pm and not sunset because of other Houses. Should I just put up a little fabric or something to shade the plants? Until they are more established?

do I take the shade down on cloudy or rainy days or is there still lots of sunlight though the clouds as my burt skin has noticed at the beach?

thank you

I would use a light fabric as a screen for this season, something like muslin that lets through a good amount of light. It can also let light in during part of the afternoon, just not all afternoon. Don’t let the soil dry completely, but don’t water so much that it is soggy.

I would treat it with a product called super thrive.You can purchase it at any garden center.

Last night I noticed brown leaves on the side of the plants which get the most sun (from about 1pm until 7pm - These hydrangeas do best in morning sun and afternoon shade.

....... 3 tablespoon of Alaska fish fertilizer. why? Water is all you need for new plants.

..... anti-weed landscaping fabric and mulch - I never use fabric, only mulch - After a season, the weeds start to grow on the top of the fabric and therefore defeats the purpose, also I do not believe water easily penetrates the fabric.

Any or all of these factors may have caused the problem.

LOL!! I always have to laugh at recommendations for using SuperThrive. If you knew what was in the stuff, you would realize that is it no sort of magic elixir and is presented/applied in such a low concentration anyway that you are essentially just giving the plants water.

No scientific study has demonstrated any measurable benefits from this product. All the reports on 'enhanced plant growth' are experiential and could be due to any number of other, undisclosed or unknown factors. The product just has an excellent advertising campaign and a lot of unsubstantiated word of mouth support. Save your money