skip to main content

Accessible Gardening Garden Clinic

is there something wrong with my hydrangea?

2 years ago

i got this hydrangea a few weeks ago, and its doing really good, but a few days ago i started noticing these spots on the flowers, and as its my first hydrangea, im i’m a little worried, can someone tell me what has caused this and how can i fix it

Comments (4)

ken_adrian Adrian MI cold Z5
2 years ago
flowers are ephemeral.. only lasting a few days or so.. maybe up to a week or so ...

they are aging .. and discoloring ...

nothing to do about it.. but enjoy it... the flowers themselves.. can last a very long time.. even if they arent pretty blue ... and in fact.. can be dried and brought in the house in a dried cut flower display ... but they will be tan colored.. and so could be painted ..

https://duckduckgo.com/?q=hydrangea+dried&t=ffcm&iax=images&ia=images

next time... buy a plant with barely opened flowers ... so the show will take longer to develop for you.. and ergo.. last longer ...

it is a perennial ... and probably should be planted in mother earth for winter .. rather than torturing it as a houseplant ... we can help you with that when the time comes ... depending where you are ...

ken
djacob Z6a SE WI
2 years ago
Ken is always right! Do what he says and next year your hydrangea will be beautiful when it blooms. :-)

debra
Related Discussions
what is wrong with my hydrangea(s)
Q
Comments (8)
I don't think it is either too much sun or not enuf water - I think what you are looking at is cold damage. Open flowers on any type of bigleaf hydrangea now in the PNW is an indication that the plants are either greenhouse grown or from out of state. And the OP indicates these are NOT greenhouse grown plants. At my nursery, we get a lot of plants from California that are well ahead of our local bloom season - hydrangeas here do not start blooming until the end of June or early July. If they came from out of state, they may have not had sufficient time to become acclimated to our colder climate. And our PNW spring weather has been colder and wetter than normal - a relatively mild frost about a week and half ago nipped all the CA hydrangeas we had on the nursery floor and they ALL have an appearance very similar to the OP's - purplish foliage and crispy flowers and leaves. And while it may be warmer daytime in the WW-Milton-Freewater than it is here in western WA, I'd be willing to bet nighttime temps are still pretty chilly. If it is cold damage, they will come back from that rather easily, although you may need to trim off the damaged portions.
...See More
What's wrong with my Tiny Tuff Stuff hydrangea?
Q
Comments (6)
The summer sun here is quite strong so I suggest making sure it gets shade starting around 11am (no afternoon sun). No evening sun either. Transplant it if it is getting more sun than that. My shrubs have handled 110+ temps in prior years with little leaf damage but they got zero afternoon/evening sun (only bright shade) and were already established by the time the 110s hit. Also, since it is a new shrub planted in the summer, give it even more shade with a chair/umbrella/etc and give it more water than in the Spring. I give mine 1g in the Spring; 1.5-2g in the summer per watering. During the daily 100s, I water 3 times a week, provided a finger inserted to s depth of 4" fels dry. Add 2-3" of mulch year around past the drip line to further help the plant. And watch for leaves browning from the edges inwards, an indication that they need more water. The round leaf spots can be ignored for now but are usually common issues due to overhead watering so, as a precaution, water the soil always, never the leaves. To remove ugly leaves, cut the petiole that connects the leaf to the stem. Hydrangeas get stressed when planted after late May here so continue giving it TLC and check it often in its first few summers. I have been looking for a TS/TTS locally. Where are you and where did you find yours?
...See More
Is something wrong with my mini penny hydrangea?
Q
Comments (12)
@guyground: sorry for such a late reply lol, but thanks for linking that thread. I’ll definitely bookmark it for the future. I do have just one question; do you or anyone else think pine needles would be a just as effective alternative to oak leaves and/or hay for stuffing around the plant? reason I ask is 1. I don’t have any oak trees and I’m pretty sure there aren’t even any around the neighborhood and 2. I have a plethora of pine trees so I basically have an infinite supply of pine needles, so it’d be very convenient if they‘re a good alternative.
...See More
What is wrong with my Hydrangea?
Q
Comments (4)
If last year's stems fail to leaf out and all growth in Spring comes from new stems, this hydrangea may require winter protection to bloom reliably. It probably develops invisible flower buds in late Summer or early Fall at the ends of the stems. These buds should then open in Spring but, if it gets too cold and the stems get killed, you get no blooms. Winter protection in the Fall would help with that. I put chicken wire around some of my hydrangeas and fill the inside with mulch. A few weeks after my average date of last frost, I remove the winter protection and use the mulch elsewhere. If you are pruning it at some point, consider that the invisible flower buds develop in late Summer or early Fall but they then open in the Spring. Thus it is best to prune no later than the end of June so no flower buds are pruned off. If you have any old stems in Spring that do not leaf out by the end of May, prune these all the way down by the end of May.
...See More
floral_uk z.8/9 SW UK
2 years ago
Are you keeping it indoors? If so harden it off and put it outside. It’s not a houseplant. Depending on your climate it might need winter shelter and/or summer shade.

P.s. I’m afraid Ken is not always right. Hydrangea flowers should last weeks, not days, in good condition before they fade. Correctly dried they will keep a lot if their colour. Those circular brown spots do not look like normal fading to me. More like a fungal issue.
rhizo_1 (North AL) zone 7
2 years ago
I agree with floral. And when cut at the right time in their development, blue hydrangeas can be dried and preserved in all of their glory.

Sign Up to Comment

Related Stories

REMODELING GUIDES Why Marble Might Be Wrong for Your Bathroom

By By Any Design Ltd.

You love its beauty and instant high-quality appeal, but bathroom marble has its drawbacks. Here's what to know before you buy

FLOWERS Why You Should Give Hydrangeas a Place in Your Yard

By Laura Gaskill

The exuberant mop-headed beauties evoke dreams of an endless summer by the sea

GARDENING GUIDES Does Your Garden Welcome Wildlife Visitors With Something to Eat?

By Susan J Tweit

Learn which flowers and plants provide essential food for pollinators and other beneficial wildlife

LIFE You Said It: ‘Every Room Should Have the Right Wrong Thing’ and More

By Becky Harris

This week on Houzz we were inspired to break out of catalog styling ruts and let our design freak flags fly

GARDENING AND LANDSCAPING Have a Ball With Hydrangeas

By Living Small: City & Small Space Consulting

Even if you don't tinker with the hue by changing the soil, hydrangeas have an entertaining range of uses in all kinds of landscapes

GARDENING GUIDES Great Design Plant: Oakleaf Hydrangea

By Becky Harris

Consider this full, flowering shrub for year-round beauty in the garden as you plan your fall plantings

FLOWERS AND PLANTS Hydrangea Arborescens Illuminates Garden Borders and Paths

By Curtis Adams

This long-blooming eastern North American native shrub finds a home in landscapes around the world

COLOR 8 Color Palettes You Can't Get Wrong

By Lisa Frederick

Can't decide on a color scheme? Choose one of these foolproof palettes for a room that feels both timeless and fresh

COLOR Ready to Try Something New? Houzz Guides to Color for Your Kitchen

By Vanessa Brunner

If only mixing up a kitchen color palette were as easy as mixing batter. Here’s help for choosing wall, cabinet, island and backsplash hues

STUDIOS AND WORKSHOPS 8 Rooms That Say 'Let's Make Something'

By The Inman Company

Stock up on ideas for craft room storage and workspaces from deluxe home workshops

Sponsored

Peabody Landscape Group

8 Reviews

Franklin County's Reliable Landscape Design & Contracting

More Discussions

2024 Spring Swap What do you think?

0

Question on raised wooden planters

3

Can you dry Queen of the night flowers

2

Var kan man köpa falska pengar? (WhatsApp+4915210559775)

0

planting potatoes

1