Hydrangeas are thirsty plants that need lots of water to survive in hot weather, but you could be damaging them if you water them at the wrong time. Stephanie Fleming, a gardening expert from Beyond Behnkes, has shared that a big mistake gardeners make is watering their hydrangeas as soon as they see them drooping on a sunny day.
She said: “The natural assumption is that they need watering – now! But I once heard the president of the American Hydrangea Society, no less, say to wait til the next morning before judging whether or not the plant really needs to be watered.
“That’s because drooping is a natural response to the heat and sun, not necessarily a sign that watering is needed. If it’s still drooping by morning, it definitely needs a drink.”
It can be concerning if a hydrangea is drooping, but they should only ever be watered in the morning when the temperature is cool as they are more likely to stay hydrated for longer.
Water can quickly heat up in the afternoon sun and can cause leaf burn, which will greatly stress out hydrangeas and make it more difficult for them to take in sunlight.
This means the plant will not be able to make energy, so the hydrangeas are more likely to produce small, weak flowers that could even drop off if the plant is severely stressed out.
Watering hydrangeas when the sun is at its peak also means more water will evaporate before the roots can absorb it, so the flowers will not get enough water to bloom properly.
If you want to keep your hydrangea flowers healthy then make sure to check on them in the morning, and if the soil is dry then water them deeply.
Hydrangeas planted in the garden usually need to be watered two to three times a week when the temperature rises, but always check the soil beforehand and if it feels moist then wait a few days.
If your hydrangeas are sitting in plant pots, then the soil will dry out at a quicker rate so be sure to check on them every day in the hot weather as they will likely need daily watering.
In late spring hydrangeas need more water to fuel their flower production, so making sure they are hydrated properly will result in bigger and more robust blooms that will look incredible in the summer.
It should be noted that for the same reasons you should also avoid fertilising hydrangeas during high temperatures as it can burn the roots and will not really help them flower.
Instead, it is more effective to mulch hydrangeas, which is the simple gardening technique of adding organic material around the soil, as it helps the plant retain more moisture and helps keep them cool.
There are many different mulches for hydrangeas but shredded bark, straw, hay or wood chips are fantastic as they break down slowly over time to give them the nutrients they need to grow healthier flowers.
