Black Spots on Hydrangea Leaves: Why I got rid of my mophead bigleaf hydrangeas!
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- čas přidán 15. 07. 2024
- In this video, I explain why I decided to finally get rid of my mophead bigleaf hydrangeas for good. The black spots on hydrangea leaves were an ongoing issue despite doing all the right remedies and preventative measures. Plus, these hydrangeas needed a ton of water. I planted panicle hydrangeas in their place, and my garden sanity has been restored!
🌿 Please hit the like button - and subscribe - if this video was helpful to you! 🌿
🌿 HELPFUL ARTICLES TO READ 🌿
Black Spots on Hydrangeas: Goodbye for Good!
(Tips on causes, prevention and remedies)
www.petscribbles.com/black-sp...
Pia Hydrangea: A Pink Dwarf Hydrangea You’ll Love!
www.petscribbles.com/pia-hydr...
🌿 FUNGICIDE MENTIONED IN THE VIDEO 🌿
I used Espoma Copper Soap for black spots on my hydrangeas. You can learn more at Espoma’s website: www.espoma.com/controls/
#blackspotshydrangeas #brownspotshydrangeas #gardensanity
You can see all of my favorite gardening tools, gardening books and gifts on my Amazon page: www.amazon.com/shop/gardensanity - Jak na to + styl
My hydrangeas suffered from leaf destruction like yours affecting most leaves - After contacting several gardening centers, I contacted Cornell and was given the reason for problem - adult four lined plant bugs and sure enough I saw them on leaves - problem develops in early spring when eggs hatch so must be attacked then -
Thanks so much Jeanne for sharing this info on the four lined bugs. 👍 Those bugs can do some damage indeed! My hydrangeas did actually have black spot fungus instead, mainly due to the hot and humid conditions and lack of airflow in that part of the yard. However, your info is helpful and I’m sticking your comment at the top so other gardeners may benefit from it. 🙂 Although I love my Little Quick Fire Hydrangeas I planted instead, I still miss those dwarf Pia Hydrangeas. Are yours doing fine now? 🌺
@@GardenSanity thank you for pinning this comment! I Googled what the damage looks like and I've had plants with what the pictures showed. Couldn't figure out what it was, now I know!
Different appearance than your spots. I've had something that looks like yours also, so that helps confirm my suspicion of fungus.
@@dawnmitchell11 Glad it helped Dawn! I think any spots -- no matter which ones they are -- tell us things are bad and probably a fungus, so sometimes on a basic level that's all one needs to know. It's frustrating but at least once we know what it is, we can then decide what to do about it. (And as you know...my choice was to say goodbye and try something more suitable.) Hopefully a simple spray routine will help your plant(s) recover nicely. Fingers crossed for you! 🤞
I planted a Little Quick Fire last year and it’s such a happy go lucky plant. Good choice.
What a great description, Martini! I'm amazed how much I love these already -- the white flowers are just stunning so far! I'm looking forward to the color changes too -- although I'm not trying to fast-forward the garden season! 😀
On my daughter's you tube searching for a reason my big leaf hydrangeas are being black spots suddenly. I came across your video, only one I could find with helpful info on black spot, thank you! I recently hired a landscaper a few months ago. He took my money and only completed half the job and I'm learning more each day, the half he did was all wrong. One reason being, I'm in the south and he planted big leaf blue hydrangeas and they get afternoon sun where he placed them. Mine have yet to bloom and I'm fighting this black spot like crazy. It's unfortunate I realized how much I love gardening and learning about it a little too late. I wish I had done my home work sooner before I hired someone to do my landscape. I agree, there are great landscapers I unfortunately didn't hire one lol
Oh Jayla, the stories we could share about bad landscapers, and I'm sure many others can as well. But we need to look at it as a learning experience as frustrating as it can be. (And believe me, I know -- especially second-guessing myself on things.) 🤔 Glad you found my video and hopefully you clicked the link in the "description area" to read the companion article I wrote, as I go more in-depth into what causes black spot and how to treat it. And never feel like you can't change things up -- as much as it can be a pain to remove plants, sometimes the effort to keep a plant just isn't just worth it. As you saw, that was my experience. Maybe try a panicle-type hydrangea instead of the big-leaf hydrangeas. There are so many varieties to consider -- and they come in different sizes too, which I love. And most importantly -- they require much LESS care and look wonderful! Keep me posted!
Yes, thank u… stop the madness. I have had so many problems with hydrangeas but don’t wanna give up either… you’ve given some great suggestions! Best from CO!
You're welcome Colleen, and I really hope one of the suggestions for treating them works for you! These hydrangeas are so very beautiful, and I envy everyone who can grow them successfully! Keep me posted, ok? 🌺 🙂
I've experienced the same black spot and yellowing of leaves with one of my mop head hydrangeas in Maryland. After seeing your video I've garnered the courage to replace it. Thanks. Plant happiness.
I’m so glad Arlene! Not for your black spot of course, but for your courage to plant something easier to manage. We deserve to enjoy the flowering shrubs we plant! Please keep me posted on what you replace the mophead with. And yes: plant happiness! 😊
Great lesson on gardening and philosophy. Seriously, whatever you said makes perfect sense. I have the same issue with big leaf with dark sports on them. Your video now makes me think 🤔. Thanks for sharing.
Thanks for weighing in Mani! It can be frustrating when we can't get those black spots corrected...and after trying so many things, I realized I'd be happier with something more suitable...and my Little Quick Fire Hydrangeas are doing SO much better than the mopheads did! Good luck with whatever you decide! 🌺
Totally agree with you, & love your glasses, they look great on you 👍
Glad you agree! Life is too short for fussy shrubs! 🙂 And thank you about my glasses! 😊
Pia hydrangeas bloom on old wood so they don’t do so well in our cold Canadian winters. Macrophyllas don’t do well in humid environments too. Lol…”wilted just”…when you “look at them the wrong way”. You have to save your “sanity” by planting plants that will do well in your native environment. 🤩😊Awesome story Laura & enjoyed it thoroughly! I love panicle hydrangeas too! Wish I could have more garden space to plant them all. “Stop the madness”! ⬅️🙏💚🪴
Glad you enjoyed it Tracy! 🤣I can make jokes about it all now that I no longer have to deal with the black spots -- but -- I'll tell ya, it was SO frustrating and I let it go on for too many years! Panicle hydrangeas are SO much easier, and I agree with you: I wish I could plant them all! 🌸🌺
@@GardenSanity I agree with you 100%! This is why I plant panicle hydrangeas where ever I can! They are foool proof 100%! Well… maybe 99.9%. 😁🤩😁
@@TracysHomeGarden Guess what? I just bought three more Little Quick Fires! 🤣 I decided to plant 2 more in this back garden bed to make a nice curved hedge, and add one into the front yard gardens too. I also looked for the "Tidbit" one but couldn't find any.
@@GardenSanity That's awesome Laura! My recently planted LQF is blooming right now (as we speak)...which is considered to be "early" bloomers for us in our zone 5 garden. Most other panicle hydrangeas don't bloom until much later. Can't wait to see them in your garden Laura!
So helpful!
Glad to hear it! Thanks for letting me know!
Happy Gardening!
Thank you! You too!
Thank you
I have the same hydrangea. They do pretty well
Hi Kelly - that’s great that your mophead hydrangea does well! I envy everyone who gets to enjoy them without all of the problems I encountered! I miss having those wonderful blue-ish flowers, but I don’t miss the black spot! 😀
thank you for sharing for this video.
You’re welcome! I hope it is helpful! 🌱🙂
I like your message 😄 Life is too short. This is especially true for gardening. I started gardening only from March this year. I got lots of brown spots on my hydrangeas leaves recently since the fall started. I’ll try to prune them and move them around (all in pots) in my garden. But if the situation doesn’t improve, I’ll get some new varieties next year. I got these hydrangeas from the local grocery store at big discount anyway 🤣
I'm glad you liked my message in this video! I have a similar one I said in a recent video: Find plants that will love you back! Because if it's a one-sided relationship? Those plants need to go away! 🙂 At least yours are in pots so you can move them around -- that makes it much easier than digging them up! (And yes, I laughed at your grocery store comment, however there's always hidden gems to be found there!) 🌺
Large swaths of pebbles, gravel are heat traps. I applaud u for getting rid of grass though (complete waste of time and money) Over time my gardens morphed till my whole yard was winding pathways leading to various 'garden rooms' with a different theme. Tropical/ desert/ oriental etc. Visitors love wandering thru to see what's around the next curve lol. It's only 1/4 acre but seems endless. I planted according to watering needs also so didn't have to irrigate the whole thing. I love your carefree attitude and have subbed immediately. Kind regards from this aussie chick.
Thank you so much for subscribing! 😊Your garden rooms sound exactly like what I'm slowly doing to my backyard. (Our front yard is similar, but more open with wider walkways.) I love planning what will go where, while always imagining what everything will look like once fully grown in. For us, using gravel has helped us actually "use" our backyard because it is rather swampy. Walking on the gravel is doable, compared to having our shoes get stuck in the muddy grass. Over time, I hope there's less gravel and more slightly raised beds as I've been doing over time. Thanks for describing your gardens -- they sound lovely! 💙
Thank you so much for sharing. I have an oak leaf hydrangea that has developed anthracnose. I’m going to take it out.
I’m sorry you need to remove your oak leaf hydrangea Julia, but hopefully you can replace it with something much easier to take care of! 🙂🌺🌸
This gives me Hydrangea HOPE! 👏👏👏🤞🤞🤞❤️❤️❤️
Well Scarlet, I hope that your hydrangea hope works! 😀
@@GardenSanity thank you! Me too! Lol 🤪 they've driven me crazy!
@@1628Scarlet Hang in there! I keep telling myself that this year was a crazy gardening season -- and so many others have agreed. ❤🌺
Hello I hope all is well!
The one thing about hydrangeas is that no matter how far apart you plant them, you suppose to water them at the base of the plant.
If you water the entire plant especially after the sun goes down the water doesn't dry & that's why you have the brown spots. 😉 Still place them the required feet away that's on the tag but DO NOT over head water them.
Give them a good soak in the roots & base of the plant twice a week.
If potted make sure you have holes at the bottom of the pot & put two boards underneath to let the water drain. 😊
I'm still learning them & I hope this helps.
This really helped me thanks! When do you recommend watering then? I thought I was supposed to water when the sun is not around 🫣
Also any advice? I potted my hydrangeas over watered & watered over head (beginner)… and got white mushrooms in my pot … has this ever happened to you?
Yes, this is all great advice Tamika! As I mentioned in the video -- even just watering at the base of the plants didn't prevent getting black/brown spots on the leaves, unfortunately. But yes, using a sprinkler system is not a good idea with mophead hydrangeas at all, and so we already had that working against us! Now that we have replaced them with panicle hydrangeas -- we have no worries with overhead watering and no black spot at all! 😀 Thanks again for sharing this advice! What color mophead hydrangeas do you have? 🌸
@@bethanyrodriguez4525 Hi Bethany -- which type of hydrangeas do you have? Are they mophead or panicle or? Getting mushrooms is a sign of too much water but also lots going on in the soil. Mushrooms aren't bad -- they're just a type of fungi -- but they usually arise in the garden beds (for example) after a lot of rain, so my guess is there's too much water in the pots. If you have mophead hydrangeas -- as Tamika said -- try watering at the base of your potted hydrangeas, getting the hose nozzle or watering can tip as close to the soil as possible. If you have panicle hydrangeas it isn't as important to avoid getting water on the leaves as they aren't as fussy. Everyone has their own preference of watering, but the best time to water in most gardening zones is in the morning because it gives the plants a chance to dry out during the day. If you water at night, there's more chance of the water lingering around and starting to cause black spot and other icky things, especially during the hot and humid nights of Summer. Let me know which type of hydrangeas you have! 😊
It rains, should I get an umbrella for the hydrangeas.
It does seem that way, doesn’t it! 😀☂️
I totally agree with u 😊
And aren't we much happier without the stress of black spot and high maintenance hydrangeas? 👍
Thanks for sharing your view on this. I have had the same problem with my mopheads in Georgia. I decided to plant Strawberry Sundae paniculatas in the backyard to see how they would do compared to the French Hydrangeas and they can take the heat and humidity without developing any fungus on the leaves. This year I will be pulling out the mopheads. It hurts my heart but it's not worth the aggravation. You spend so much time taking care of them and by August they look like hell! So sad :-(
Hi Luz -- I agree, it is heartbreaking having to remove plants we love -- that I always say don't love us back. Our garden lives are too short to grow plants that don't love us back equally. 💔 However, I've had luck with my paniculata hydrangeas and it sounds like you are too with your Strawberry Sundaes, which are so pretty! 💮 And once you're no longer spending time on the mopheads, you're freed up to (hopefully) enjoy your gardening tasks more -- or -- freed up to rest and admire your hard work! ❤😃
🌳🌿🌳ENJOYED🌳🌿🌳
So glad you enjoyed it Marlise!
I grow mophead hydrangeas in New Orleans, so I know allll about heat, humidity, and watering! I also grow in a ton of shade (under oaks), so if I want to see a beautiful perennial that flowers, mop head hydrangeas it is! My hydrangeas get watered everyday via drip irrigation (10 mins @5am, everyday). Prior to me having them on drip, I did have to water everyday. They are a super thirsty variety. I do get brown spots on them at some point every year, but the flush of blue and pink flowers are just too irresistible for me. Thank you for sharing your journey!
Oh Sonya, your hydrangeas sound like they’re so beautiful! 🌸💙 I think New Orleans heat and humidity definitely tops what we get here in southern New Jersey! 🥵 And it sounds like you’ve come up with the perfect growing and watering solution with shade and drip irrigation. That’s fantastic! Mopheads will always have a piece of my heart. Thanks so much for sharing how you care for them successfully! 💕💙🌸
That’s what I was about to post: I’m in FL in a neighborhood full of massive, towering oaks, and EVERY SINGLE macrophylla hydrangea in the neighborhood (including mine) thrive under them in the shade. They are shade loving, unlike the exact opposite panicle hydrangea varieties like Limelight. I don’t have to water mine every day … but they are basically growing in a lush forest environment where we typically get a thunder shower on the daily. Look at how successful you actually were “swimming up stream” growing them in their worst conditions, so to speak! Something to compliment your skills, really! Glad you discovered the right hydrangeas for your garden! 😃👍🏻
@@KODoch48 Your neighborhood trees and hydrangeas must be so pretty when everything is in bloom! We have a ton of oak trees behind our property fence…maybe that’s where I should have planted mine. 🤣 Seriously, thank you for sharing, and for your pep talk about me swimming upstream too! I appreciate it! 💜🌸
I have several big leaf (unknown varieties) they are big babies and need loads of water (just like my oak leaf) but they're doing well besides constant water. I believe the term "flagging" is what they do and it's to protect themselves. They're not suffering from any fungus or spot issues. I will admit that when they were given to me I was told they were Hardy HIbiscus and I treated them as such the first year until I got no blooms (because I cut them back lol). This year they're gorgeous and the flower heads are giant. I agree that the panicle hydrangeas are much much easier and just as beautiful. I have many different panicle hydrangeas and love the show they put on and carry on into the fall. I'm not sure they're going to carry their color into fall as well this year since everything has bloomed at least a month earlier than usual. The plants and weather have a mind of their own. Autumn Joy Sedum is in full bloom too! Crazy
Yes you're right about the flagging/protecting themselves. Mine just took it to the extreme. 🤣 You must have had quite the surprise when the Hibiscus turned into a Hydrangea! 😮 I can't get over that your Autumn Joy are already in full bloom! That is crazy!! Last year, we had a tropical storm that wiped out most of the gorgeous color of my panicle hydrangeas by stunting the blooms and so the Fall color was sort of still there but nowhere near what it could be. Here's hoping you'll be surprised with a long blooming season this year!
One of your videos sold me on Pinky Winky. The bigleafs do ok for me in southcoast MA but I prefer the panticulatas. They are less demanding, they bloom longer and the pollinators like the fertile ones like Pinky Winky. And no pruning worries
Hi Dora -- I used to live in the Boston area for 20 years, and adored all of the bigleaf hydrangeas -- especially the blue ones which always remind me of Cape Cod! But you're right: much less work with panicle hydrangeas plus the blooms go right into the Fall season with more color changes! Hope you enjoy your Pinky Winky hydrangeas as much as I do! 💕🌸
I planted two hydrangeas this Spring. I have a little lime punch hydrangea that is starting to bloom. Some of the leaves at the bottom have black spots. I probably don't need to water them every day. I ordered the copper fungicide. I also planted a Quick Fire Fab Hydrangea. I water this hydrangea everyday and have no fungus on this plant. These two panicle hydrangeas are in full sun. My endless summer hydrangea is doing better since I relocated it to an area of my yard that gets morning sun and afternoon shade. I water this hydrangea everyday. I had issues with my Pinky Winky Hydrangea. It wasn't leafing out at the middle of the stems. I realized what the problem was. I had noticed these small holes at the top of wood stems. Pinky Winky was infested with borers. I cut the stems down until I no longer saw holes. I then applied a dab of wood glue on top of stems. I replanted my Pinky Winky in a pot. The stems are starting to leaf out everywhere and I see flower buds! My Pinky Winky seems to like it better with just morning sun and afternoon shade. I also give my hydrangeas Miracle Gro Miracid every two weeks.
I just found your channel and you’ve gained a new Subscriber.. We moved into our home 10 years ago and the first thing I bought was a colorful Hydrangea and funny that the local garden center gave me and my neighbor a free one as well because it was Mother’s Day. I was a new gardener and did not know much, needless to say, I’ve been struggling with them ever since… Well, I’ve come a long way and becoming a very serious gardener as I want to plant easy care Perennial garden’s that only need maintenance.. I pulled those macrophylla’s out 🙌 ( Husband planted them in the back of property, I wished him luck 🍀 😂) So I spent a small fortune and bought 5 Incrediball Hydrangea’s to replace them and I’m so excited to see the results.. on the search for 9 more to plant on the other side of the front of our House .. zone 6a, in Northwest N.J. 🙌🍀🌱
Welcome to Garden Sanity, and I'm so happy you subscribed, Observer44! 😀 (And hello to a fellow Garden State gardener too!) I laughed out loud when I read you wished your husband "good luck" with those macrophylla hydrangeas! 😂 But I can really empathize with you on how fussy they can be -- the hydrangeas, not our husbands! 🤣 I'm with you: I love adding perennials to my garden beds. I bet your Incrediballs will be stunning in bloom! What color(s) did you plant?
@@GardenSanity The White one’s, I already have 1 that I planted 2 year’s ago and she is a stunner so I’m sure the new Incrediball’s will do great! 🙌
Oh I bet they will look stunning! White is such a nice soft and cooling color to see in the garden when temperatures soar. 🤍🌱
@@GardenSanity l think its the best advise l got l live in the tropics and l thought l could not grow them here l am happy to say l grow the mophead in beautiful pink just sooo fantastic thank you.
@@salimahosein1569 Oh Salima, I imagine your pink mopheads are beautiful! 💖🌸
I’m having the exact same problem with one of my mop head hydrangeas. Which I’m planning to rip out soon.
I felt actual relief when we removed those mopheads. 🤣 Way too much work for not much in return! I hope you will consider planting panicle hydrangeas instead, as they are practically trouble-free! (And pretty!)
One thing that might help is to not use sprinklers anymore and use drip so you can control how much water goes to the plants and so there is no excess moisture on the plants which causes black spot .
Totally agree that the sprinklers didn’t help, however even when we purposely didn’t use the sprinklers and hand watered instead, we still had black spot because of the other factors I mentioned in the video. The good news is that my panicle hydrangeas are much hardier and there’s no black spot at all - just healthy green leaves and gorgeous flowerheads! 🌸🌱👍🏼
@@GardenSanity beautiful!
Love you mam
:32 Yes but I reeeeaaaaallly want to hear that story! I am trying to gradually replace my lawn as well. Back yard I have removed 75% grass and replaced with hardscaping. BUT now I hate it because there is no rganic, natural views. It is hard and ugly. I am working on front yard next, but NO hard surfaces AT ALL. Please do a video telling your story of ditching your lawn
😊 It's a loooooonnnnng story, and yes I will do a video about it someday, but since it will require sorting through a ton of still images -- as this was before I was doing video -- it will take some time. In the meantime, I do have two articles on my website with lots of images of the before and after, plus lots of advice too -- which may be helpful to you. The first article is "How to Plan Your Dream Front Yard" www.petscribbles.com/how-to-plan-your-dream-front-yard/ and the second article is "Side Yard Makeover: Easy Care and Attractive" www.petscribbles.com/side-yard-makeover-easy-care-and-attractive/
You mention there's no organic, natural views in your back yard. Is there room to add some planters or some garden spaces there? Even adding a small tree will help make you feel less like you're surrounded by hardscaping. 😊 🌳 And to have some greenery year-round out there, perhaps a couple of evergreen shrubs will help as well. If there's no room to plant anything in the ground, purchasing some very large planters that can house a small tree or evergreen shrubs can help provide you with some nature. Just a few ideas to think about! 🪴😀
Right plant, right place! I have plants that I gave up trying despite adoring them, because after awhile it's just not worth the energy and disappointment.
It's funny you say the panicles are easiest to start with. That's what I started with (several years ago) and killed two! 😄 I'm in central Texas and I've had more luck with Endless Summer macrophylla than panicle. Go figure! I'm a much more seasoned gardener now, so I've decided to try Little Lime one last time this year. 🤞I have to give mine a couple hours of morning sun and then filtered sun and shade the rest of the day.
Totally agree with you Dawn -- right plant, right place! It's hard to give up plants we adore, and I end up saying those plants just don't love me back so I can't deal with a one-sided relationship! I need the love to be returned to me in my garden. Otherwise -- where's the garden sanity? 🤔😀 That's interesting that you've had more luck with Endless Summer than panicles -- however -- it's fantastic that you have figured it out. Some of the frustration -- I think -- with newer gardeners is spending the time trying to figure things out. And it doesn't help when some of the plant tags or plant information at garden centers says "Easy Plant" or "Can't Kill This One" and things like that. 🤣 Let me know how the Little Lime does for you this year. 🌿💚
@@GardenSanity nicely played with the one sided relationship and sanity! 🤣
I'm getting there! I've always said I was born in the wrong part of the country. I'm an English garden kind of gal. All my favorites do best in the more northern areas. 🤣 My grandmother was from England, gardening in Oklahoma prairie! I'm starting to appreciate the Texas tolerant plants more due to the sanity and $ aspect!
@@dawnmitchell11 Oh Dawn, I would LOVE to have an English garden...in England! I can imagine your grandmother had quite the experience adjusting to Oklahoma's climate and gardening needs! I'm also envious of how the bloom times are for gardeners across the pond, as their plants seem to bloom a bit earlier than ours. But this year, our Winter here in southern New Jersey was so mild, that we actually had similar bloom times with the Spring bulbs. (Even my Hellebores began blooming in early January versus usually starting in mid-February.) I am not looking forward to the hot weather coming up. Yesterday we hit 81 degrees -- way too early for us! 🥵😂💙
I killed 2 as well 😂
@@shilohmorris5527 glad I'm not alone! 😆
black spot on all my containered hydrangeas. sadly they probably must go, like you say :(
love your content! i’ve been all in on limelight’s and oak leafs and your channel has excellent experience based content for the limelight’s which i haven’t been able to find most places in the youtube’s.
have been trying to propagate limelighs via cuttings for a few years and i’m not sure i’ve had success. Then again they get the “wild propagation” technique where i shove the pruned twigs into shady cool area of the yard. Even with the terrible conditions i’ve had about 20-40% succes
20-40% success with the oak leafs depending on the weather that year but no limelight’s yet.
Thanks Marambula! 💚🌱 I love the look of oak leaf hydrangeas, although I don’t personally have any…so far. 🙂 Do you have a favorite variety of oak leaf hydrangeas?
For propagating Limelights, there’s a great CZcams channel called Tracy’s Home and Garden, and she shows how she propagates her panicle hydrangeas. Maybe that will be helpful to you. 🌱🪴
I’ll be sure to check out Tracy’s channel! My favorite oak leaf variety so far has been Ruby Slippers, it’s a slow grower but i’ve been very happy with it and it survived a few years in container before transplant into landscape. My previous favorite small habit (“munchkin” variety name) died back unexpectedly but was excellent before the crash.. 2 years later it hasn’t rebounded in a way that i’m confident in its future. The best growing was an unlabeled oak leaf from the GA native plant society sale but it’s massive and not as space conscious or good looking as the ruby slippers or munchkin.
Thanks for the info on your oak leaf hydrangeas! I just spent some time looking up images of them - both have such beautiful color! 🌺🌸 To rejuvenate the hydrangea that isn’t growing well anymore, remove the oldest stems from the shrub, pruning all the way down to approximately 6 inches. ☀️Never prune back more than a third of the oldest stems, otherwise you’ll possibly be cutting off future flowers - as oak leaf hydrangeas bloom on old wood.☀️ You can cut these oldest stems back in early Spring to encourage new growth from those stems. I hope this helps!
Where are you located that it so hot and humid? That was a great video! Thanks for sharing.
Thanks Penny! 😊 I’m in southern New Jersey near the coast, and we’ve enjoyed lovely high humidity most of this Summer. 🥵 I’m definitely not a fan of high humidity and neither were those mophead hydrangeas! 😅🤣
@@GardenSanity Yes yes.. I sure do hear ya! It's been a mad hot summer for us as well in New York. Welcome Fall "_"
Totally agree Penny! I was just outside filming another video this morning and it was actually in the 60s and felt wonderful! Here’s to Fall indeed! 🍂
I’ve had the same battle with my Original Hydrangeas. I have moved them around 3 times and am so tired of being disappointed every time. I may have to get rid of them. So sad.
Wanted to give an update on my hydrangeas. I put them in a pot and moved them to my front porch which only receives about 2 hours of morning sun. From about 10ish they only indirect sunlight. I wish I could show a picture. They are doing very well!! They were on their end of days LOLOL. I want to add that they love coffee grinds. They let you know really quick just how much they love coffee grinds.
I live in the heat of south Texas in zone 8b.
I got one small leaf hydrangea attacked by brown spots in spring. Then another same variety, later in summer (UK). For now, I decided to leave them in ground, just regularly remove all diseased leaves and flowers, and plant strong smelling salvias next to them, and see how they will be next year. Salvias are recommended by gardeners to plant next to roses to prevent black spot fungi, which is apparently put off by their smell. So I decided to do same with all plants and fruit trees that suffer from brown spot,just as an experiment.
I’ve never heard of Salvias preventing black spot on Roses (or Hydrangeas), but sure enough a quick search on Google and I see many UK gardeners recommend this! 🙂 Salvia is disease and pest resistant, and I know it can help keep pests at bay as a companion plant, but I’m quite interested in this for black spot. Please keep me posted on your experiment! I’m fascinated by this! (And I love learning new things, so thank you for sharing!) 🙂🌹🌺
l~Love♡Blue~Color-Japan-Somuch♡-謝謝♡♡♡
Hi, thanks for your perspective. I so agree. What zone are you in?
Glad you agree Heidi -- our gardening lives are way too short, so I'm all for trying to minimize frustration in the garden! 👍 I'm in zone 7, in southern New Jersey very near the coast. What zone are you gardening in?
Garden Sanity hi, I’m in zone 9 so it’s challenging in this heat and humidity.
@@heidilecompte4198 Oh wow -- you do have it a bit worse than I do. Yesterday was really humid but only in the 80s. I'm dreading when the high 90s hit in mid-Summer. 🥵
I just now planted my first garden hydrangeas about a month ago. I notice half of the flowers are perfect and then some are not. I am new to hydrangeas and don't know why that is happening. I'll see how it goes. The flowers that ate blooming are beautiful though.
Which type of hydrangeas did you plant? It's possible your hydrangeas are just getting acclimated into your garden, so there might not be perfect flowers from the start.
In Hawaii, we can only grow mopheads, doesn't get cold enough to grow paniculatas, can't even get them.
Thanks for sharing this info, Corliss! I just did some reading about this -- as I had no idea and am fascinated by your climate -- and it seems like mopheads do well in Hawaii. Is that your experience?
@@GardenSanity they can't tolerate direct sun, early morning sun and shade rest of the day. They do better at the higher elevations, but some people are successful with daily watering.
Thanks for this info, Corliss. I had to water mine so much - I began to feel I was wasting water! 🙂 Too bad you can’t grow panicle hydrangeas but you can grow lots of plants we probably can’t here on the mainland. 🌺
I live in Indiana where it's generally not that hot or humid. My Bush is two years old and I have the same problem and it hasn't bloomed. Should I dig it out and do away with it?
Hi Ron -- I'm surprised it hasn't bloomed. Are either A) deer munching on the stems in the Winter and accidentally removing potential flower buds; or B) have your pruned any of the stems back, again accidentally removing potential flower buds? These types of mophead hydrangeas really shouldn't be pruned at all, otherwise you won't get any flowers. How large did it grow this year? If it's still a very young -- and small -- plant, sometimes flowers won't appear in those first few years. However, if it is larger like mine were, then that's different...and unfortunately I'm unsure why it would happen other than my first two guesses above. As for the Black Spot that you're seeing in the Summer, have your tried spraying them? Let me know the answers to some of these questions and maybe we can figure out if it can be saved or if it's better to just toss it.
@@GardenSanity I cut it back last season but have left it alone for this winter
@@ronpennington2092 Smart idea to leave it alone for the Winter season. Add some Holly-tone fertilizer in the Spring around the plant, and clean up around the base of the plant on the ground if there's any dead leaves from the hydrangea that could have the black spot fungus on them. You can do a preventative spraying for black spot as the season kicks in and see if that helps too. Let's hope you'll get some flowers this year! But if the shrub becomes too frustrating, you have my permission to dig it out and replace it with something that will grow much better for you! 🙂
Mophead hydrangeas do not like western sun. They are a partial sun plant. The fact you had to water them every day was a sign something was wrong with where they were planted. I also noticed you have a lot of mulch with no ground covers. This would help keep the ground cool and maintain moisture.
Thanks for the advice Paul! I’m envious of areas where they can grow in full sun - like up in New England, but their climate is much different as you mention. The mulch does keep the ground cool and keeps the moisture in but I’m very interested in your suggestion of adding ground covers. In your experience does it seem to help even more? I just added ajuga to one of my front garden beds but don’t have any ground covers in that back garden bed as you noted. Any chance you are the same Paul Mackerer with the beautiful gardens in PA? 🌸🌺🌿
I have the same problem with my Wax Leaf Ligustrum shrubs. It was determined by my local extension office that the shrubs are suffering from
Cercospora Leaf Spot fungus. There is no cure for this fungus. It will not kill the shrub, but it will continue to cause the leaves to get black spots, turn yellow, then brown, then die and drop off of the shrub. You can treat the shrubs with Heritage SC or DACONIL fungicide every 2-3 weeks during the growing season. I'm presently treating my shrubs with these fungicides and it is a nuisance! I'm debating whether I should get rid of the shrubs. What's interesting is that the shrubs were thriving for a couple of years until I decided to relocate them in the same flower bed last summer. One of the shrubs was relocated to a new garden in the back of my home and it as well continued to suffer from this fungus! I determined that the fungus lives within the soil around my home and probably throughout the neighborhood or within the region where I live (Maryland) and when I damaged the roots when I dug up the shrubs, they were exposed to the fungus when they were replanted. So, as long as you do not damage any roots when planting new flowers, shrubs, and trees, they will be safe from this fungus!
Also, I failed to mention that Cercospora Leaf Spot can infect hydrangea shrubs and trees as well.
Thanks for sharing! Yes, I have an article on my website (link is above in the Description) where I discuss Cercospora Leaf Spot and Anthracnose affecting hydrangeas. Neither is fun to deal with! Are you still getting pretty flowers on your Ligustrum? I wonder if this year’s extreme heat and humidity are also adding to the problem with the stress on garden shrubs in general. All I know is that my panicle hydrangeas are thriving in the same spot that my mophead hydrangeas were. Their leaves are healthy and I’m happier! I hope that somehow you win the battle over the Cercospora! Fingers crossed for you! 🤞🙂
@@GardenSanity @Garden Sanity Thanks for your reply! Happy to hear that your paniclular hydrangeas are doing well! Yes, my Ligustrums are still blooming well with white flowers. They typically lose their blooms by early to mid summer before the high temps and humidity set in. However, the beauty of this shrub is its shiny leaves which I can no longer enjoy due to the cloudy white fungicides that I am spraying on them every 14 - 21 days. I still may replace them with some new healthy Ligustrums next spring. Happy gardening and enjoy the rest of your summer!
@@raggs2912 Glad you still had the white flowers, but sorry you're now dealing with the "white" of the fungicides on those pretty leaves. Hope the fungicide starts helping, and I wish you an enjoyable rest of the gardening season as well! 😄
I live in Missouri. It's so hot and sunny, you can't plant hydrangeas in full sun. They need morning sun only...
I hear you Michelle -- that's how it seemed here for me too (in southern New Jersey). At the same time, somehow I still occasionally see these hydrangeas in full sun and growing wonderfully. Just not for me, I guess! Do you have these hydrangeas in your own garden?
@@GardenSanity I have lace cap and mop head. They're one of the only things I can get to grow under my large oak tree. They're beautiful. I love them.
@@michellelandvik4009 I bet they're so beautiful under your oak tree Michelle! I love those varieties too, and just have to enjoy them from afar. 😊 🌸
What garden zone are you in?
Hi Sharon, I'm in zone 7, in southern New Jersey near the coast. What garden zone are you in? 🍃
I’m hope you do not throwaway. You can grow them in the pot. Florida
Looks like my Miss Kim Lilac ☹️
I'm sorry Alexandra, hopefully if you try some copper spray it will help your Miss Kim Lilac. It may take a few applications to see some improvement. Make sure if you live in a colder climate that part of Fall cleanup is to remove as many infected leaves that may be on the ground as possible, since the fungus can over Winter and return next year. Once the weather warms up in the Spring next year, and you begin to have nice growth on your Lilac, apply some preventative spray every so often to help prevent the black spot from returning. I hope this helps! 🙂
hydrangeas grow best when you leave them alone no fertilizer no cutting back old wood no over watering !!
Well this can be true IF your soil conditions are just right, the sun requirements are perfect and you get the proper amount of rainfall. 🙂 I'm not trying to be sarcastic, but am sincerely pointing out that many gardeners don't have these perfect conditions, and that's where soil amendments, some slow-release fertilizer, and some water can help. If only it was as easy as doing nothing! (And I envy everyone who DOES have perfect conditions! I sure didn't for the mopheads!) Thanks for weighing in Mr. B! 👍
@@GardenSanity true but I feel like most people who aren't as educated in gardening as you are go to home Depot plant their hydrangeas add fertilizer water everyday wet leaves prune ect ... Then the following year no buds and they wonder why...
@@MRB1199 I agree with you 100% -- especially as Home Depot is one of those places that waters all of their plants and shrubs the same way with overhead water sprinklers. 🙄 That hinders the plants before they even get planted into someone's garden. Again, that's why I love panicle hydrangeas and encourage beginner gardeners to try them, as they are SO much easier to care for than mopheads. Do you grow mopheads yourself? If so, which varieties to you have? 🌸 😀
@@GardenSanity im no expert but I grow mopheads here in nyc my mother has a green thumb taught me a few things and watching channels like yours helped me... my plants. 5 in total were plated in 2012 and they are a gorgeous blue purple hue due to the soil but I literally leave them alone water every two or three days at the root and the blooms are amazing
@@MRB1199 Your hydrangeas sound beautiful! I am so fond of the blue-purple colors on them! I love those shades the best. Aren't we lucky to have had mothers with green thumbs? One of my grandmothers also had an amazing garden, and I wish she was still here to chat about gardening!
I think the reason your big leaf hydrangeas got spots might be from the sprinkler hitting them. I agree they’re high maintenance, but for me nothing compares to a Nikko blue in full bloom. The panicle ones look great as well, but I wish there was more color variation.
Totally agree with you Will: the sprinklers definitely contributed to it, but even when I did my experiment and hand-watered that entire bed, there was still black spot forming. Now, I WISH I could grow a Nikko blue or any of the other gorgeous deep blue hydrangeas. Those still are my favorites! And I do see them growing in this area looking lovely, but for my own gardens they don't work. (Big sigh!) Also agree that it would be great for more color variations in the panicles. I'm excited to have pinks, whites, ivory, lime, and reds...but the elusive blues will never be. Or, they will develop them after my gardens are already full! 🤣
@@GardenSanity nice job on the landscaping!! not that i'm a professional on hydrangeas (or anything else for matter) but in 65yrs i've dug up may share of bad decisions!! get rid of those sprinklers! (their for the grass not shrubs, water by hand (or soak-er hose) and water at least one foot away from the plant (don't water the plant). when it's hot and no rain (i mean a good steady rain for a day or two) use at least three gallons every other day and once a month use half a teaspoon of miracle grow for "roses", if you have a sprayer that has a soak-er setting, get a one gallon bucket and count how many seconds it takes to fill it up, take that times three, and thats what each plant gets.
@@shotdog4200 Thanks Shot Dog for all of the tips and suggestions! The sprinklers actually work well, with the only exception being the mophead hydrangeas, which of course have been banished from my gardens. However, yes if we were to do this landscaping over again we would definitely prefer soaker hoses over the sprinkler system. (And you don't even want to know how messed up the installation of the sprinkler system was: a subcontractor hired by a subcontractor hired by the contractor...I shudder to think about it now.) It's something we do think about: redoing the beds from sprinklers to the soaker hoses...but oh what a job that will be. Not for this year or this current hot and humid weather! 😂 But it's a smart idea!
Looks like the hydrangeas were in the sun, that’s the problem.
Try not to wet the leaves. Water at the base of the plant.