How should I care for my Hydrangea plant? It is in a container outside.?

It wilts every afternoon and is restored every morning.

How should I care for my Hydrangea plant? It is in a container outside.?
The Plant Hunter makes some good points. Definitely your wilting problem is directly related to the amount of sunlight the plant is receiving. Hydrangea macrophylla (Big Leaf Hydrangea) and Hydrangea arborescens (Smooth Hydrangea) drink alot of water, and in sunny spot, even a really good watering program may leave these plants wilting in full sun. Definitely repotting could be in order.





I would advise that either of these plants be moved to a more shaded location, that should also help alleviate the wilting. Neither species like/ can handle full sun.





I hope that this helps


Good luck-
Reply:Time to re-pot it and move it out of direct sun. Buy a GOOD QUALITY potting soil and a container at least half again as large as the current container (be sure the container has drain holes in the bottom.. don't plug it up!). Fertilize it with Miracid fertilizer about once every two weeks.





Hydrangea like lots of moisture and don't like getting too much sun.
Reply:It sounds like your have a French Hydrangea / Bigleaf Hydrangea (Hydrangea macrophylla). This species of Hydrangea is prone to wilting in full sun. Some cultivars are worse than others. The variety Endless Summer is very prone to wilting.





This plant should be located in an area that gets filtered shade or only a few hours of sun. The wilting may not hurt the plant but it does look bad and requires that you water the plant more often.





This species of Hydrangea forms it flowers in late summer - fall and thus you should do only minimal pruning to remove the spend flowers in the spring, or older non-flowering stems. If you live in a cold climate it may be necessary to move the container into the garage or some protected area so the flower buds do not freeze.





Avoid fertilizing after mid-summer, otherwise you will promote excess growth that can be damaged in the winter.





Flower color can be changed from pink to blue by adding aluminum sulfate in the fall and spring. Phosphorus and lime will result in pink flowers. The choice is yours.





I wrote an article on Hydrangea care that may be helpful. See it at:





http://www.springmeadownursery.com/prune...