Two Hydrangea, planted in the same place at the same time...

mrleelee1

Same amount of water, same amount of sun.

Anyone have any ideas why one looks dead and the other looks alright?

I'm quite new to this so just wondering if i've done something wrong...



Thanks in advance

Lyn

Something drastically wrong there, they’re both not good,   The best one is struggling

Did they come in pots, if so did you tease out the roots before you planted.

They are definitely too close to the wall, maybe that wall has sheltered them from any rain.  Did you frequently water them through the hot weather we’ve had, maybe the sun has been fully on them, they don’t like that when they’re new. 

If they do grow, or if you buy more, Bear in mind when planting that they will grow to at least 6’ wide, and that means depth as well. So make allowance for size when planting. 

mrleelee1

Thank you for your reply Lyn.

Oh that doesn't sound good. I guess I have shown my novice gardening skills with this! I had no idea they grew that deep. It's planted in a place that gets sun from 8am until 1pm ish. We didn't water it loads when we first got it as we thought because it was sheltered from the sun most of the time, it would be okay... I guess that was a mistake! Do they need lots of sun? Maybe they just haven't had enough...

Do you think we should remove them and plant something else there? They've only been there about 3 months.

Thanks again

Lyn

They do better in the shade really, and as their name suggests, lots of water. 
These are in shade all the time, never see a bit of sun all day. These are cuttings I did and they’ve been in for about 5 years.



This one’s been in longer it’s about 10’ across could be more, it’s taller than me by far. Gets some sun but not directly on it.

Borderline

The amount of hours out in the sun should be fine. But you need to give them space as Lyn states.  Not so close together, at least 1-2 meters between the two. With the wall there, the plants will always need watering, so bear in mind that if you keep it in that spot, you may find it challenging to keep happy. If you have a better spot, maybe move it there in the autumn time.

Watering all new plants and keep watering them through the hot months. I don't recommend you cover the soil with pebbles, it's important to be able to feel and see the soil to know what's happening. I think decorative stones should be left for established shrubs/plants only.

Fairygirl

I'd agree with Lyn and Borderline too - they're both going to struggle if left there. I'd certainly take out the one on the right and pot it up for now until it recovers, which it probably will if it gets attention now 
They will take some sun happily enough if they have enough moisture, but they're clearly not getting that. Being close to a wall will always tend to shelter plants, so it cna be useful in colder, wetter areas if you want to grow slightly less hardy plants.

Even sun loving plants/shrubs need plenty of water when first planted, until properly established, so clear some of that gravel away and get  the hose out .