In theory, mature VS's have upright growth habit and shouldn't "fan out" too much. If yours are mature enough the stems should grow out a few feet and then almost straight up, and should not flop with blooms, as opposed to younger ones. You're lucky to have found these in the first place - no one can seem to, let alone in 5-gal sizes!

Spider mites should produce the tell tale spider webs once they reproduce enough; they can also cause leaf curling on new growth as they prefer to suck the tender new growth. They are tough to see as they are tiny but, you can shake the end of the affected hydrangea stems on top of a 8x11 white paper to see if you detect tiny dots that move. If you confirm that, you can use a hard spray from your nozzle to dislodge them violently enough to kill them. You can also release beneficial insects like ladybugs or even use a miticide. Consider chemical exposure too. When another bush far away has been sprayed, the winds can cause some of the chemical to end up on the hydrangea and the new growth would be harmed more than older leaves. Cercospora fungus would be a possibility as it starts with similar brown spots but it develops purplish lesions as the leaf damage gets older. It is rare to see it at this time of the year but it may have been acquired at and transmitted from the wholesaler. If you have a magnifying glass, you could try to see if the affected area looks like spores. Luis This post was edited by luis_pr on Fri, May 30, 14 at 21:18

This is a bad time for planting hydrangeas as the environment is quite hot and there is little humidity. As a result of heat stress and transplant shock, some leaves may yellow out. Usually old leaves react this way. Leaves in too much sun can also turn yellow but in this case, only leaves in direct contact with the sun would be turning ALL yellow and the other leaves would remain dark green. Doubt this is you though since paniculatas like VS can handle full sun and your sun is not as intense as it is here; but keep an eye on that so you know what to do (temporarily give them shade somehow). Leaves that turn yellowish (but the leaf veins remain dark green) can also have a condition called iron chlorosis. Leaves can also display a wilted look when the plant looses moisture thru the leaves faster than the roots can absorb it. Very common in the summer with new shrubs. Wilting episodes should be checked to make sure the soil is not dry or almost dry. But most of the time, they will recover on their own by the next morning. These episodes will occur on the first few summers. Once the plant becomes established in your garden, it will develop a root system capable of overcoming a large number of these wilting episodes but, eh, one gets them when temps are plain ole hot. I am in the 100s now so I see these problems happenning now. You can help the shrubs by maintaining the area well mulched (3-4" of mulch up to the drip line or further) and by monitoring the soil moisture several times a week until low Fall temperatures arrive. The finger method can help you determine when to water so you do not overdo it by watering twice every day: give them 1 gallon of water per plant when a finger inserted into the soil to a depth of 4" feels dry or almost dry. Test the area near the base trunk, ie, where the roots are & cover the little hole again when done. When watering, it is best to water outwards starting from the area where the rootball is. Water only the soil and do it early in the morning. At this very moment, the roots are located in the area where your potting mix resides and roots have not ventured yet "outside", into the garden soil. Do moisten that edge between the potting mix and the garden soil but it is critical not to forget about the root ball. If it dries out, it will repel water and be hard to get it to absorb water again. Check mulch levels twice a year or whatever works for you as mulch will help you reduce waterings and conserve moisture, as well as protect the roots from the heat. There is no need to add fertilizers this year as most newly purchased plants will have those round fertilizer pellets in the potting mix. Besides, we are late in the growing season. You want to fertilize from Spring thru July only so the plant will go dormant in the Fall and not stay in growth mode thru Fall or winter. Next Spring, you can add a 1/2 cup to 1 cup of organic mulch or cottonseed meal. Hydrangeas are not big eaters like roses, so this will suffice for the year. If you want to, add "weak" fertilizers like coffee grounds, liquid seaweed or liquid fish but stop all fertilizers by July. Liquid iron is an amendment added to prevent iron chlorosis. This is a temporary condition where the shrub cannot absorb iron from the soil and is common in alkaline soils. If your soil is acidic, you do not need it. If your soil is alkaline, your hydrangea will benefit from regular doses of amendments that will add this iron (amendments like liquid iron products) or other granular products like aluminum sulfate, ammoniun sulfate, iron sulfate, green sand, garden Sulphur, etc. I amend once in Spring and again in late Summer or early Fall if the leaves display a light green to yellow color (but the leaf veins remain dark green). A neighbor or a nearby plant nursery can give you an idea of how alkaline or acidic soils are in your area. If you want to be proactive, you can also buy soil testing kits for soil pH, although they may be hard to find in some places at the end of the growing season. Enjoy your VSs! Luis This post was edited by luis_pr on Thu, Jul 24, 14 at 5:13

Wow, it looks nice malibucruzer. In some cases, you could try using chicken wire and not pruning; or just let them be. Older plants handle this better because the stems' wood has hardened but there will still be some flopping if you get these humongous blooms. Newly planted shrubs have new weaker stems and big heavy blooms which results in blooms falling over. If you prune the stem, then eventually you will get two branches developing at the end and these will produce blooms, possibly smaller than before but the combined weight might still cause flopping. Depends on whether the stems are hard enough to hold the weight and when they are new, it is tough. Did I say wow, it looks nice already?!?!?? :o)