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Do your hydrangea leaves wilt in full sun?

8 years ago

I was asking for recommedations or advice about the endless summer hydrangea and mentioned that it would be planted in front of my south facing house. Someone said that they wilt in full sun. Also when looking at some at a local garden center all the ones they had were wilting on the day i went....

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Comments (4)

luis_pr
8 years ago
last modified: 8 years ago
All Hydrangea macrophyllas like ES are very sensitive to the sun on their first summer and less-so as they get established and develop a bigger root system. The effect of summer temps should be less in future years but still, during the worst of the summer, I would expect to see some wilting (it gets to the 100s daily over here). You can help the plants by (a) maintaining the soil as evenly moist as possible (b) keeping 3-4" of mulch to the drip line at all times and (c) not over-watering.

I agree that the south and west sides can be problematic but that can be relative. For example, if you put a hydrangea on the west/south side but there is a tree or shrub that will give them dappled sun or afternoon shade, they may be fine. If concerned enough, you could dig a hole in the proposed location and put the shrub -pot and all- in the hole until it spends a whole year there. After about a year, take it out of the pot, prune roots that are circling and plant it. But if you noticed too many issues, move it elsewhere.
tlbean2004 thanked luis_pr
gardengal48 (PNW Z8/9)
8 years ago
A southern exposure for a mac is too severe in my opinion. Even in my area - very far north and with typically mild summer weather - these will wilt with regularity and look pretty bleached out, both foliage and flowers. If you can provide some dappled shade as Luis suggests, it could work but I'd opt for a more sheltered/shaded location if at all possible.
tlbean2004 thanked gardengal48 (PNW Z8/9)
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That isn't wilt. It is called Physiological leaf Roll and is caused by stress of some kind. The most common cause of it is inconsistent soil moisture levels. Either overly dry followed by soaking wet by too dry, etc. or by heavily over-watering - keeping the soil consistently soaking wet. It is common following periods of heavy rain but if you haven't had that then the most likely cause is you keeping the soil too wet. Eggplant, just like peppers prefer to dry out some (not totally) between waterings, and then to be watered lightly, not soaked. Simply put they don't like mud. :) Dave
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Here it is one year later and the 2 Bluebird's I have planted have done well over the winter and early spring. I had minimal pruning of dead stems out of each of them. I waited till they leafed out before doing any pruning to see what was dead and what was alive. Both plants had numerous blooms on them as compared to last year's handful on each plant. The blooms opened to blue blossoms and with the unexpected heat I expected them to be flagging (wilting of leaves) but the symptoms were minimal to the one with more PM sun. A bucket of water helped it recover. E mail me for pictures if interested. Add @AOL.com to the user name please.
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With the intensity of a midwest summer, I'd say a full sun location for this plant is just a bit too severe. The brown leaves are sunburn/scorch. It is a woodland plant in its native habitat and a full sun exposure without copious amounts of water is expecting a bit much of it. It is best sited on an eastern or northern exposure in rich, well-draining but moisture retentive soil. Unless located in very heavy shade, you can expect reliable blooming once it is well enough established, which can take a number of years. Personally, I'd relocate it to a shadier location (morning sun, afternoon shade preferred) or provide some sort of protection until your shade fills in.
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RE: original topic... 3-5 cups per day is a bit too much water. Otherwise, that's simply the plant's behavior. The leaves get like that due to sun exposure. As long as they aren't wilted or drooping or turning white or black, they're fine. As for the blooms, they can turn brown or limp around the edges of the petals, especially if in direct sunlight. Also, hydrangea blooms tend to turn brown as they age. I theorize you got this as a gift or otherwise from a florist source. It will behave like this when subjected to natural conditions 100% of the time, especially when raised in unnatural conditions (a.k.a. Greenhouses). Growth and blooms that occur in natural conditions will be more apt to handle them. Also, fair warning, if you plant a "topiary" hydrangea "tree", it will come back as a regular hydrangea with a dead stick in the middle next spring. This forum really needs sticky threads on Florist Hydrangeas and winter hardiness. Who's with me?!
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NHBabs z4b-5a NH
8 years ago
If you want a hydrangea in this south-facing spot, I find that H. paniculata is much more tolerant of full sun than H. macrophylla. The color will be different, but the plant will be much happier.
PRO
Petrofac
8 years ago
Of course they wilt. I live in Singapore where its hot as hell and humid as a cave.

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