Oakleaf Sike's Dwarf Hydrangea

Hello,

I just purchased an oakleaf Sike's dwarf hydrangea. I got it a couple of weeks ago, and I planted it a week ago. It gets full morning sun, in moist soil. It starts to get some shade in later afternoon. It looked like a good specimen when I got it. Now that it's in the ground, the small leaves are drooping with brown edges. I got it from Lazy S's nursery. Because the plant is so young and the leaves small, is the full sun too strong? The plant is, maybe, a couple of inches tall. I thought it took full sun when I read about it. Maybe the soil is too moist? Any advice or ideas from anyone would be appreciated. Thank you..

Sounds like it was just rooted being that small. Yeah, I would baby it until it got a foot tall or more. Put some shade on it during the hottest part of the day (a leaning piece of cardboard, sheet, plywood, etc.) and keep the soil moist (not soggy wet). Hope it recovers...

Thank you so much! That makes sense. I dug it up and put it in a temporary pot for now. I moved it to a spot with partial sun. When it gets bigger, hopefully, I will replant into the ground. I forgot to mention that I'm in zone 6b.

I think oakleaf can handle zone 6b. I planted some tiny ones from eBay years ago and lost a few - lesson learned - treat them like babies when they are babies.

Here are some of mine - Ellen Huff, Ruby Slippers, Harmony, Snow Queen, and Little Honey.

Most are between 2 and 4 years old with Little Honey being the oldest - maybe 7 now.

Your hydrangeas are beautiful! I really like that these varieties don't get too big. They're perfect for a smaller garden. Thank you for the photos. :)

It can handle 5a in full sun if you water it - but you do have to do that. I had Sikes Dwarf, Alice and Snowflake at my former home. I very much agree with Hcmcdole about babying them. It's worth it. They become wonderful.

I used to hide a soaker hose at the base. This was the south side of my property, in full blazing sun. A shade plant in the south. These guys require patience and care when young, but really toughen up when they get older. Then they blow you away, like hc's gorgeous plants.