Hydrangea help.

Devon Roy

What has happened to my hydrangea, 2 weeks ago it looked a fit and healthy plant, now it looks like this, any ideas as to what has happened and is there anything I can do to save it?

Fairygirl

It's dehydrated.
You'll need to thoroughly soak it. If you can't immerse it in a tub of water, water it with a saucer or container of some kind underneath. Pour a bucket of water in at the roots, and let it it then soak up what comes through into the container below. It might take  a while. 
Hydrangeas generally need a lot of moisture, especially if they're in a sunnier site. They're very difficult to keep properly hydrated in pots, no matter what size the pot is.

Lyn

Not a good idea to keep that type of hydrangea in a pot, least of all a clay one, it will need watering twice a day in the summer.  As soon as you water it, the clay pot will soak it up. 
Once you’ve given it a thorough soak it will romp away if you can get it in the ground , really not suited to pots. 

Devon Roy

Not sure that it is dehydrated, soil seems damp, have now stood pot in a container of water and a couple of days later it looks worse, really sorry for itself.

Obelixx

Has the pot got adequate drainage holes?  If so are they blocked?  What kind of compost did you use?  Is there some critter such as vine weevil larvae eating the roots?

I reckon you have nothing to lose by carefully removing it from its pot and checking the drainage and pests and then you can try re-potting using a mix of 2 parts John Innes no 3 and one part multi-purpose so that it has a free draining but moisture retentive compost.   They like plenty of moisture but don't like sitting with their roots constantly wet.

Water it well then cross your fingers it recovers.   Keep it out of full sun while it is stressed.

Devon Roy

Thanks for your reply, should I cut off all the dead looking leaves and flowers?

Obelixx

Yes.