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too dry/too much sun, or something worse?

Michele Skinner

7 years ago

we planted seven annabelle hydrangeas along the front of the house four years ago, and this is the first time i've had any concerns about them. what is going on with this one? all of the others are perfectly lovely, but this one started to bloom, then the leaves started to turn brown, and blooms turned brown and shriveled up. the plants are north-facing, zone 4, mostly in the shade all day. i water the roots daily, and they got a fresh blanket of mulch in the spring. there is a lacecap hydrangea around the corner of the porch from this one that is doing the same thing, and it DOES get more sun than the annabelles. does this look like disease to you? do i need to worry about the other hydrangeas? or is this a case of too much sun/heat, not enough water? thank you!

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Comments (3)

NWalton (Zone 6a)
7 years ago
It only takes one day of being too dry to brown like that. If you keep up with watering they should keep going strong. I've usually found that this happens with excessive dryness (no rain), too much sun, and/or too much wind.
Michele Skinner
Original Author
7 years ago
thank you! it's been all of the above - windy, dry, and hot. i'll keep watering the base to see if it will perk up. i'm just glad to know it isn't a pet or disease!
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October_Gardens
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If the browning is steadily spreading around the plant, it's a fungal disease and the plant may be bare by August. However, it might restart from a retarded state next season (sans the disease). I think all of mine became diseased after 15" of rain in June last year, but this year there's no browning!

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