Deformed leaves, help!

[aeatwell]

Hi all,

Firstly I am pretty new to gardening so please bear with me!

I recently (two months ago) bought a hydrangea from a local garden centre and at that point it seemed pretty healthy and happy. I re-potted it in a largish tub and soon afterwards it started to show signs that all was not well. Despite moving it around the garden, putting it in more sun/less sun/shade etc and varying the amount of water I gave it I am stumped as to what the problem is. There doesn't seem to be anything eating the leaves and I originally thought the warped leaves were caused by excessive sun but I have moved it out of the sun but it hasn't solved the problem.

Any help/guidance is appreciated!!

Many thanks,
Ahmad

[rainbowgardener]

I think you have some kind of pest, not the chewing kind that eats leaves, but the sucking kind that pierces them and sucks the juices out. That results in the puckering and curling and some yellow spots and scars where the leaf was pierced.

This could be aphids, thrips, spider mites, etc. Look very closely, including underside of leaves. The thrips and spider mites are very tiny, you almost need a magnifying glass to see them. If spider mites, you may see a few little bits of webbing on the under side of the leaves. It helps to hold a piece of white paper under a leaf and shake the leaf. You should be able to see the pests as little dots.