I just planted my first 2 hydrangea bushes last year, but they never really got off the ground because the leaves kept turning a brownish rusty color and dying. What caused that? I'm in TX, I've heard hydrangeas do great down here. What am I doing wrong?
Hydrangea leaves turn "rusty" and die
Ladyborg, Do you have them in shade, and did you water them well? When did you plant them? What kind of soil? I think your climate is sort of like mine, and may even have a bit more heat. My experience here is that I must plant them in shade (high, partial shade seems to work o.k.) and really watch them for water until they are established. Do you see any swelling growth buds on the stems (winter sticks :)? Mine are beginning to break bud, which is way too early, due to all of the warm temperatures we've had (70's). If you have growth buds, they should be o.k. If you planted gallon size plants, my experience says it takes awhile for them to get started. There may also be a fungal disease (Rust) causing the problem or mites feeding on the leaves which turn them a bleached brown (but you should be able to see the mites). Most of the other diseases usually start with various kinds of spots. I'm no expert, but I have grown Hydranges for years. Do you have other plants like ferns, hostas, hellebors or azaleas doing well in the same area? They tend to like the same sort of care, with the exception of fertilizing practices. Hope this gets you started.
Peony, thanks for all the great advice. You sure SOUND like an expert. I planted last spring and summer (2) 1 G. plants (one in spring, one in summer). Both are in a fairly shady area, the wall faces NW, so it gets some PM sun, but there's a huge sweetgum tree about 10 feet away from them, so they don't get the full brunt of the sun.
Yes, I am getting buds now. The "rusty" leaves happen once the leaves are grown, not yet.
I have yet to get any hostas or azaleas to grow, I guess the spots I had them in weren't shady enough. Perhaps in other zones it might have been but in hot, sticky, humid 8b weather NOT!
What do you fertilize your hydrangeas with? I'm sure the problem is not a pest.
The man-made fertilizer I use is a slow release 12-4-8, simply because I once was heavy handed with fertilizer. I have since learned better, but the slow release stuff works well. I use composted manure and LOTS of leaf mold (it's great stuff!). An easy way to use your leaves is simply lower your mower blade to its lowest level and mow over the leaves and dump them around the base of your hydrangeas. They will love it. Just a thought - the afternoon sun is not what the hydrangeas like; if they get much sun, they prefer early morning sun. The reason I asked about new growth nodes was to determine if the plants were still living and reasonably healthy. The one disease to which many hydrangeas are susceptible is powdery mildew, but it turns the leaves gray and they seem to wither beginning on the outer edge (they curl). Sometimes they have yellow or purple blotches on the leaves. Finally, I'm one of the few gardeners who actually like sweet gum trees, and I have hydrangeas planted within 10 feet of my sweet gum and they are doing fine.