What could be wrong with my climbing hydrangea?

Question

In spring it starts out fine but soon has yellow leaves. It flowers a bit, then later in summer the leaves look burned. I've tried giving it iron and Epson salts and poor thing survives, but that's about all. It was in full sun, but I've moved it to partial shade. Help please.

Answer 1

could be a lot of different things, bad drainage, not enough nitrogen in the soil, if the yellow's spotty it could be an insect attacking it, hydrangeas are fussy until they find the right home. sounds like a root problem, though. re-plant with new peat/soil mix and make sure you loosen the soil for a wide area in the bed/planting location.

Answer 2

Hydrangaeas do best in partial shade--so I am curious if the problem occurred BEFORE the move or after? I would also exhume all of the soil surrounding the root ball and replace it with a top-quality (e.g., Peters) soil mix. Don't amend the soil with any more additives until the plant stabilizes. Water often but be sure the soil isn't water-logged (i.e., too much clay).

Answer 3

Hi,
Try going here: http://forums.gardenweb.com/forums/hydra/

This is where I learned all I know about hydrangeas, over the last three years.
The people are knowledgeable and very friendly.
I learned and practice this knowledge, and now have several hydrangeas.

Hope this helps,
Dave