Novice gardener in the process of killing a hydrangea
Posted: Sun Jun 12, 2016 2:01 pm
Hi everyone,
Thanks so much for taking a look at my question!
I am new to gardening and this site, so sorry if I make any etiquette mistakes (and do let me know I have!)
I planted a hydrangea bush ~3 weeks ago. It was healthy when planted but has since become increasingly sad.
I live in downtown DC, and the native soil is a dense clay. We dug that out (but maybe not deeply enough) and put in a mix of organic potting soil, compost and worm casings.
When it was planted we were going through a crazy rain spell (we set records - 16 days basically straight). The leaves were wilting and many had black spots on them. From looking at online forums I thought this might be due to overwatering, so once the sun finally decided to return I watered it less frequently than the rest of the garden.
It temporarily perked up, and the black spots are gone, but it has since gone back to wilting. I've read a lot of conflicting thoughts in online forums that I have looked at (soil still wet, although it feels dry now, too much sun?). Any thoughts on how to help it feel better are much appreciated!
Thanks so much for taking a look at my question!
I am new to gardening and this site, so sorry if I make any etiquette mistakes (and do let me know I have!)
I planted a hydrangea bush ~3 weeks ago. It was healthy when planted but has since become increasingly sad.
I live in downtown DC, and the native soil is a dense clay. We dug that out (but maybe not deeply enough) and put in a mix of organic potting soil, compost and worm casings.
When it was planted we were going through a crazy rain spell (we set records - 16 days basically straight). The leaves were wilting and many had black spots on them. From looking at online forums I thought this might be due to overwatering, so once the sun finally decided to return I watered it less frequently than the rest of the garden.
It temporarily perked up, and the black spots are gone, but it has since gone back to wilting. I've read a lot of conflicting thoughts in online forums that I have looked at (soil still wet, although it feels dry now, too much sun?). Any thoughts on how to help it feel better are much appreciated!