I do not have SS but VS does flop when & after the blooms get wet. My LL does not flop but there is a catch: mine is protected from rain.

My little lamb hydrangea is super floppy too! Planted them last summer!

Starlight, do you have a wall that you can plant this at the top of or can you place it a raised planter? There are some panicled hydrangeas that don’t have strong enough branches to support the huge blooms, including both Strawberry Sundae and Vanilla Strawberry, so planting to take advantage of the form may help. You can also consider removing the lowest branches or adding support prior to leaf out in the spring so that it gets camouflaged by new growth. I don’t much like this form, so I choose other varieties.

If you have been pruning it, consider not pruning and deadhead when blooms fade. In general, old wood is more rigid than new wood, though with SS’s over-sized blooms, there will still be arching.

Leungkitty, yourLittle Lamb may be in too much shade or it may just be young. Where I am they do great with all day sun, though farther south the flowers last better with shade during the hottest part of the day. Your spot looks like there is a lot of shade.

Thanks NHBabs! I will take your suggestions & remember not to prune them next spring. If not I may have to consider replacing them with more Firelights (FL). My two FLs have large panicles but not as dense as the Strawberry Sundaes so they don’t flop. The colour of the panicles also age better for me as well.

All the the varieties mentioned do this. Normally, with time, as the plants mature, they get thicker stems and hold their bloom up better. It is for this reason Proven Winners is phasing out Little Lamb and recommending Bobo, Little Quick Fire and Little Lime which have strong stems. Still, if you are patient, the plant will get better with time.