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Hydrangeas in wet soil

9 years ago

I have an empty area beside our air conditioning unit that I really want to plant in, but the soil there stays wet pretty much year round, and very wet during the summer. I read that hydrangea does well with wet soil, but could anyone give me an idea of how wet? The water isn't exactly standing on the surface in this area, but it's always damp and during our very hot east GA summer the ground is sometimes a little spongy when the AC has been working overtime. Would hydrangea do well in this if I'm sure to mix in plenty of bulky organic matter when I plant? Could anyone recommend anything else that could handle wet feet all the time?

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gardengal48 (PNW Z8/9)

7 years ago

Soil that stays "damp for a few days" should not be an issue for any kind of hydrangea. But I would disagree with some of the above comments that they like it "sopping" or water logged. Very few plants will tolerate that sort of condition and hydrangeas are no exception. They like moist soil but they also want good drainage. Soil that remains wet - not just moist - for too long will lead to root rots and fungal diseases.

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Comments (7)

hc mcdole
9 years ago
Macrophylla (mop head/lace cap) should do well in these conditions (I had a big blue hydrangea near a downspout at our last house and it did very well, actually too well as I had to prune it back hard many times over the years but I gave away lots of rooted branches when I did prune it back). Oakleaf and paniculata types would not do well in this wet area though.

I heard that Astilbe do well in wet spots too but I gave up on those. Colocasia should do very well there if you get a lot of sun with a constant wet ground. Ferns and hostas are another possibility.
Bruce_Quint
9 years ago
Have grown numerous paniculata types in sopping soil. They are native to areas with streams running right by their roots so they like it wet. Limelight does great with moist soil- will take a couple years to become well-established.
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On a short term basis, it could stand some... especially if the soil drains well/quickly but, if this occurs often or if the soil stays wet to the point where you see standing water for hours or you see wet soil for hours, it may do fine at first and then catch root rot in 3-4 weeks. Oakleafs would probably croak much much faster. I would not choose this location myself. Is there any chance that a landscape company could divert the water or add a pipe to channel the water elsewhere? You may want to do one of those soil drainage tests where you dig a hole, add water and observe how fast it drains so you get a real good idea of what the shrub will be subjected to. This post was edited by luis_pr on Thu, May 8, 14 at 17:18
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Are their roots in very wet soil?I had an opportunity to watch as someone tried to grow a hydrangea in very wet soil. The roots obviously rotted and the leaves dried up just like a plant that didn't get any water. Little bit ironic, but the rotten roots couldn't take up the water and it was a little bit of "water, water, everywhere, but not a drop to drink". Did you see any flowers on your hydrangea? White ones? And the habit is to send up canes from a colony? That might be H. Arboescens. I've had some disease in one planting area of this that sounds a bit like your problem. This time of year the leaves just start getting brown all over and fall off. My best GUESS is that it is a fungus type disease and it has been suggested to me in the Garden Clinic forum that it is anthracnose. I tried to make sure the area was clean in the fall. Best I could do. Good luck. Hay. Show us a picture? That might help.
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ruth_mi
9 years ago
I've had Limelights do fine in soil that stays wet for long periods during the spring. The same conditions have killed Incrediballs.
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enith
9 years ago
No hydrangea will survive in either standing water or very wet clay. You didn't mention the type of soil you have but if it's heavy you could raise a grade a bit by adding mentioned organic matter mixed with some sand or grit. And aim for macrophyllas, these appreciate constant moisture at the roots as long as they're no suffocating in mud.
bsmith0023 (z8b coastal SC)
7 years ago
I know this is old, but what about arborescens ? We get big rains / hurricanes in fall and good spring showers too that leave some areas a little damp for a few days after.
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NHBabs z4b-5a NH
7 years ago
One of the smaller Clethra or Itea might do better in this setting.
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