To help protect your hydrangeas from drooping, plant them in a location that keeps them shielded from the afternoon sun. "Filtered sun, as beneath pines, is great," says Doggett. "Keep in mind that hydrangeas do need some sunlight in order to bloom well."
Trim an inch off the ends of the stems and submerge wilted flowers in a bucket, bowl or sink filled with cool water. If you're trying to revive multiple stems at once, weigh down the stems in the water with a lightweight plate so they stay completely submerged.
Hydrangeas need more water than most garden plants and will begin to wilt quickly without it. To ensure that Hydrangeas thrive, water deeply two to three times a week in the summer. Be sure to water in the morning or evening so that water does not evaporate as quickly as it would during the heat of the day.
If your hydrangea foliage is also damaged, it may be sunburned (crispy or brown around edges). Depending on the amount of total damage, your plant will eventually recover from severe sunburn, but may not rebound from extreme drought.
Panicle hydrangeas can handle hot sun
While they are drought tolerant and stand up to heat, I still like to provide shade during the hottest part of the day. And just because they are drought tolerant doesn't mean you should let them wilt. As with all hydrangeas, plants will thrive with regular irrigation.
Make a vertical slit in the incision and hold the stem upright in the boiling water for about 60 seconds. Place the hydrangeas back in your floral arrangement and they should revive themselves in an hour or so. Don't forget to check out our pro tips for arranging flowers!
Wilting or mushy leaves: overwatered hydrangea leaves are heavy and drooping. They may be mushy or pulpy to the touch because their cells are flooded. Underwatered plants, on the other hand, will have dry and crispy leaves.
Too much sun exposure can cause your hydrangea shrubs to burn on its leaves and blooms. Also, be sure to put your fingers in the soil to see if it needs watering. We do recommend a soak versus light watering each day, but you should be sure that the soil is always moist – not wet – by sticking your fingers in the dirt.
Hydrangeas can be grown in full sun but too much direct sunlight, especially during the afternoon hours when the sun is most intense, can cause wilt. When exposed to excessive sun, the plant's internal temperature increases, which causes the leaves to transpire and leads to moisture loss in the cells.
"Warm temperatures and humid conditions can cause the stems of your hydrangeas to weaken and the blooms to flop over," explains gardening expert Melinda Myers. "Much like weeds, plants can overgrow when exposed to too much moisture."
"Hydrangeas can look stressed in extreme heat but will perk up when temperatures drop," says Clay. "If the plant is looking a bit sad even with cooler temperatures, it likely needs water."
In addition to changing color, an overwatered hydrangea's leaves may wilt. In extreme cases, the leaves will begin to drop off the plant.
Some gardeners report success in turning their hydrangeas blue by applying coffee grounds to the soil. The coffee grounds make the soil more acidic, allowing the hydrangea to more easily absorb aluminum. In addition, fruit peels, lawn clippings, peat moss and pine needles, are thought to have a similar effect.
Bigleaf is divided into two flower types – lacecap and mophead. Both are among the most heat-tolerant hydrangeas, although mophead prefers a bit more shade. Panicle hydrangea (H. paniculata) – Panicle hydrangea is one of the most sun tolerant hydrangeas.
Water at a rate of 1 inch per week throughout the growing season. Deeply water 3 times a week to encourage root growth. Bigleaf and smooth hydrangeas require more water, but all varieties benefit from consistent moisture.
Brown, tan, yellowish or black spots on hydrangea leaves may be anthracnose. You can also identify it by cankers that form on stems and branches. Anthracnose can be fatal to hydrangeas, so prune out dead or diseased plant parts and destroy them.
If the leaves are drooping, it is time to water the plant. If the leaves are yellowing and turning brown, check for standing water or a clogged drainage hole.
You can use vinegar to lower the pH of your soil, but be aware that in order to achieve blue blooms, you will need both an acidic environment and aluminum ions. The acidic environment will also need to be a sustained over a period of time, which could be hard if rainwater is washing the vinegar away.
The reason for hydrangeas wilting and dying is because there is not enough moisture around the roots due to lack of watering or rainfall, the soil drains too quickly, too much sun or excessive wind saps moisture from the leaves. Hydrangea flowers can droop due to excess fertilizer.
Bigleaf hydrangeas, also known as hydrangea macrophylla, vary especially with some of the newer cultivars being bred to better tolerate heat and sun, but most of these including the mopheads and lacecaps prefer some shade, especially during the afternoon.
It's when they consume most of their water, so they are most prone to wilting at night when they're not getting the water they're used to. You'll need to help your hydrangea blooms get the excess water that they need in a different way because they usually can't consume enough water from their stems alone.
Typical symptoms include yellowing leaves, or irregular dry, brown blotches. Leaf tips and margins may turn brown, as well. Severely damaged leaves may drop from the plant. Leaf scorch results when the leaves lose water faster than it can be supplied by the roots, so wilting may occur before scorch is noticed.