To me watering is the issue, not the pot depth. I have many plants in pots more shallow than that. Lately it has been topping out in the upper 90's here and I'm watered very day. One of my grow areas has been hitting 100+ because of the concrete the benches sit on. This plant is growing and putting on leaves and only having about 3/8" of an inch of soil and about 1/4 of an inch of gravel over the roots. It get watered once a day. When we start hitting 110 + around that bench in July, it will need more shade. Bonsai would not have been a reality if things could not be grown in shallow pots. Most bonsai are less drought tolerant than the plants posted on this forum. randy

Are you sure all of your compost is finished? If it isn't, it may be tying up your Nitrogen. Maybe a little fish emulsion will perk them up.

That's very strange, Ellie. I'm not sure what caused it, but over-watering usually results in rot, not a dried out end like that. And it's kinda hard to over-water seedlings in summer since they have such good root systems. Is it possible the seedling trunks got sunburned at the soil line? That would cause that hard, caved-in area; I've had it happen a few times in the heat of summer. You could try with one of those seedlings just lightly scoring the bark above the dried up area with a razor blade, just enough to encourage new roots to come out from the very shallow cuts. The roots come from the cambium layer, just under the bark layer. Couldn't hurt to try it at this point. Good luck!

First, let's start with the same suggestion that virtually every new poster to GW will engender - include your location and/or climate zone with every post OR change your profile to reflect it. You will get much faster and more complete answers that are appropriate to your specific location, if we know what it is. Second, with any plantings, you can't water to a specific schedule. The frequency of the need to water is dependent on soil conditions, siting and weather. When you do water you want to water thoroughly, so the water can percolate down through the soil profile the full depth of the rootball. Third, the hydrangeas appear to be planted in amongst a bunch of weeds or weedy grass. Why are they not in clear planting beds? Lawns, weed grasses and weeds can easily outcompete young, newly planted plants for both soil moisture and nutrients, delaying proper establishment. A defined, clear planting area surrounding the plants (or a single planting bed that contains them all) that is kept free of weeds and grass is preferred. And this should be mulched, both to keep any weeds down and to insulate the soil and prevent evaporation. The leaves of the plants don't look too bad - a little off color and a few showing scorched tips - but overall they look as though the plants are receiving adequate water. The browned or withered flowers are just flowers that have passed their prime. They can be removed to improve the plants' appearance. Depending on the type of hydrangeas they are (another useful piece of info we lack), they may not produce any more flowers this season. Hydrangea macrophyllas that bloom on old wood (the vast majority of them) create flower buds in late summer or fall of the previous year. Once those buds have bloomed, that's it for the year. Reblooming macs (those that bloom on both old and new growth) can generate additional flower buds in season but young, new plants like these are not so much inclined to do so until fully established. The offcolor of the foliage and the faded flowers could indicate these plants are receiving a bit more sun than they'd prefer. This is not a deal breaker but something to be aware of and to work to offset. Or you could relocate these plants in fall to a shadier location (morning sun only) and plant more sun tolerant panicle hydrangeas (Hydrangea paniculata cultivars) in their place.