General gardening topics

Why are my Hydrangea leaves wilting and turning brown?

Last updated on March 1st, 2022

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If your Hydrangea leaves have started to wilt it is usually an environmental problem, for example, too much sun exposure as they prefer a shady position or not enough water, especially when grown in containers. Applying too much fertiliser can also cause the leaves and flowers to wilt.

It is incredibly frustrating to work very hard in cultivating your Hydrangeas only to see its leaves drooping, wilting or turning brown. Newly planted Hydrangeas can quickly wilt from lack of water because they have very restricted roots balls, however, fungus and pests can also be a cause. Below we will go over this in more detail as well as going discussing a few other reasons this might be happening and how to overcome the problem.

Hydrangea leaves turning brown

Lack of water – especially on newly planted shrubs

One reason your hydrangea leaves might be turning brown is because of an issue during transplantation. If you recently transplanted your hydrangeas to a new spot whether from an existing area in your garden or from a nursery, hydrangea could simply be turning brown because it doesn't have enough water.
A Hydrangea wilting through lack of water will soon start to turn brown if not watered quickly

One reason the leaves on your Hydrangea might be turning brown is because of an issue during transplantation. If you recently transplanted your Hydrangea to a new spot, whether from an existing area in your garden or from a nursery, it could simply be turning brown because it doesn’t have enough water.

This is especially common when you purchase a Hydrangea from a nursery or garden centre because the potting soil that they use in nurseries is typically very high in peat moss and this means it dries out quickly, so if you see that the roots are compact and woven together, you want to try and loosen them before you plant your Hydrangea. If you didn’t do that before you planted, don’t panic. You just need to make sure that you keep the soil uniformly moist from that point onward until it takes and has got some new roots out.

You can learn more about growing Hydrangeas by clicking here.

Consider setting up an automatic watering system

Hozelock Easy Drip Universal Watering Kit for Beds and Borders, Black, 40 x 25 x 15 cm & Easy Drip Universal Dripper
  • Product 1: Complete watering kit providing a great solution to watering borders, hedges and vegetable gardens for an area up to 10m²
  • Product 1: Easy to Install in just 15 minutes, due to ‘Push Fit’ design
  • Product 1: Combine with any water controller for Automatic Watering
  • Product 1: Modular in design so kits can be easily connected together to make a larger system
  • Product 2: Easy to install Universal Dripper ideal for watering borders, hedges and vegetables patches
HOZELOCK - Drip Watering Kit 20 Pot : Complete Stand-alone System with Select Controller Programmer, Ideal for Potted Plantsand Window Boxes, for Precise, Water-saving Watering [2803 0000]
  • Automatically waters up to 20 containers
  • Includes the Select Controller, which has a manual watering function, allowing you to water whenever your plants need it. Includes 16 pre-set programs to supply water from once a week up to four times a day
  • Drippers deliver water directly to the roots reducing water wastage
  • Easy to install as pipes can be easily cut and joined together depending on where you need to water
  • Regular focused watering keeps plants healthy and less prone to disease

Fungus – black spots on the leaves – provide good air circulation

There are different types of fungus that target the hydrangea and the results you see are brown spots on the leaves. The first step you want to do is avoid watering the hydrangea leaves and water specifically at the base because any excess water could leave the plants acceptable.
Lead spot caused by disease, improve air circulation and avoid watering foliage.

Another reason that the leaves on your Hydrangea are turning brown could be a fungal infection. There are different types of fungus that target the Hydrangea and the results you see are brown spots on the leaves. The first step you want to do is avoid watering the leaves and water specifically at the base because any excess water could leave the plants succeptable.

Simultaneously you want to choose to water in the morning or evening rather than in the afternoon when the sun is at its highest. Remove any leaves that have these brown spots and any debris that has been dropped underneath the Hydrangea. Fungus needs a dark, moist area in which to thrive so don’t provide an environment for them.

If you are going to remove any part of the Hydrangea make sure you disinfect your pruners before doing so because this will prevent you from accidentally transferring infection from one branch or leaf to another. If you have enough space in your garden, make sure that you give 2 metres of space in between one Hydrangea and the next to improve air circulation because this also helps reduce fungus.

Recommended fungicide

FungusClear 18986 Ultra, 3 in 1 Action, Plant Protection Disease Control, 225 ml
  • Systemic protection and control of blackspot, powdery mildew and rust
  • Use on roses and other flowering or ornamental plants
  • Protects new growth and protects plants for over 3 months, when used at intervals recommended in usage instructions
  • Use between March to September
  • Apply using a garden pressure sprayer washed before and after use

Hydrangea leaves wilting

If the leaves on your Hydrangea are wilting, and in some cases turning brown concurrently, this could be indicative of toxicity poisoning. If you use too much fertiliser it could cause these symptoms, and as a direct result increase the susceptibility your plants have to infection. It is recommended that you do not use more than two cups of a 10-10-10 fertiliser for every 9.2 square metres. So if you are using fertiliser in a smaller area where you have Hydrangeas in pots you might actually be using too much. There is a significantly high risk for toxicity during the summer when your Hydrangeas are exposed to sunlight. In general, applying a general fertiliser in spring, in measurement as stated on the box, is often more than enough for Hydrangeas.


Hydrangea leaves drooping – caused by pests

If you notice your hydrangea leaves are drooping, shrivelling up and turning brown, you might have a pest problem, you may also notice a sticky substance known as honeydew. This is indicative of scale insects also known as hydrangea scale

If you notice your Hydrangea leaves are drooping, shrivelling up and turning brown, you might have a pest problem, you may also notice a sticky substance known as honeydew. This is indicative of scale insects, also known as Hydrangea scale or aphids, and the solution is to clean off every pest with either a direct stream of water or a mixture of water and dish soap.

If you are using water to remove them physically, be aware of the power of the stream you use. If you spray water at full power it could damage the leaves in the process.

If you use an insecticide be aware of the fact that it could kill the insects but scorch leaves as well, so pay particular attention to the ingredients and instructions and never spray in bright sunshine.

Recommended bug killer

Bug Clear Ultra for Flowering Plants,Liquid Concentrate Insecticide and Acaricide, 200 ml
  • A contact and systemic insecticide that offers protection against a wide range of pests for flowering plants
  • Kills all major ornamental insect pests including whitefly, greenfly, blackfly and other aphids, scale insects, mealy bugs, red spider mites, caterpillars and lily beetles
  • Also offers a useful level of control of thrips
  • Its systemic action protects treated plants from such pests for up to three weeks
  • For use outdoors and in greenhouses and conservatories

If you grow Hydrangea in pots, it’s often easier to care for them. Learn more about growing Hydrangeas in pots here.

Last update on 2024-03-25 / Affiliate links / Images from Amazon Product Advertising API

Welcome to my site, my name is John and I have been lucky enough to work in horticultural nurseries for over 15 years in the UK. As the founder and editor as well as researcher, I have a City & Guilds Horticultural Qualifications which I proudly display on our About us page. I now work full time on this website where I review the very best gardening products and tools and write reliable gardening guides. Behind this site is an actual real person who has worked and has experience with the types of products we review as well as years of knowledge on the topics we cover from actual experience. You can reach out to me at john@pyracantha.co.uk

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