What is wrong with this little hydrangea's leaves?
What is wrong with my hydrangea
I would start giving it lots of water and see if it puts up new growth. When it's dry, I water almost every day. There may be nothing wrong with the leaves, other than they look like old growth. I would prune the blooms to allow more energy to be put to the plant itself.
Thanks - I'll do that today. It's a baby and it's first year in my yard so it needs energy.
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I wouldn't necessarily prune off the blooms, I don't think that'll do much to help with the leaves in this case. The ragged parts of the leaves look like somebody's been eating the plant (maybe slugs/snails), and that may be the source of some of the edges looking brown as well. The other possibility on some of the brown spots is if you're watering in the evenings or splashing water on the leaves when you water, that can cause spots on the leaves. And I'd do the finger test on your soil before you start giving it extra water--it doesn't look especially water stressed to me (hydrangeas are very good at showing you they need more water, they wilt very easily) and too much water is just as bad as too little.
What's the soil like? Sandy, loamy or clay? I agree with ercrane3 about the leaf spots and watering. They like consistent moisure but in a well drained soil. I'm just wondering what's under the mulch. What cultivar is this one, if you know? Some are more susceptible to leaf spot than others.
I have a first year Hydrangea macrophylla 'Regula' that has put out very little growth. The leaves are deep green and large but the plant just seems to sit there. I confess I don't have a clue as to why it seems to sulk. Others planted aound it in the same conditions are going to town. If the performance doesn't improve next growing season I'm digging it up to look at the roots. If it makes it to next season!
Soil is great here. Rich and perfect. I think it was the 99 degree week we had that just zapped everything.
Well, they can take some heat. With your soil so good, my guess is it just needs more time to get established. I once had a rose bush that just refused to grow despite the best of care and soil. I dug it out. About year later we decided to dig a foundation for a storage building in the same place. When digging down about 20 - 24 inches we found oodles of buried stone, trash, and a plastic tarp that the previous owners were to lazy to dispose of properly! No wonder!