Most hydrangea species cannot cope with the sun. If they are in the wrong location, there is a high chance of sunburn in mid or late summer. How to tell if the hydrangea has sunburned and what should you do to save the plant?
Hydrangeas are one of the most beautiful plants in the garden and their magnificent flowers deserve a central place in the garden. However, if it is a place that gets too much sun, the plant can burn.
This is how you can recognize sunburn on hydrangeas
When plants get sunburned, the leaves, among other things, suffer. The strong sunlight removes moisture from them, causing them to turn brown and gradually dry out. This can also cause entire shoots to dry out and the plant to die after a while. That's why you should act as quickly as possible if the hydrangea is burned.
How to distinguish sunburn from pests, fungi or lack of water?
How can you tell if the hydrangea is burned or affected by pests or a disease? The brown leaves can also be a consequenceincorrect wateringbe. To make sure it's actually sunburn, you should be able to rule out all other possible causes of browning and drying leaves. Check your plants regularly to detect problems with the plant early.
The easiest way to find out if the hydrangea is actually burned is to observe the plant at midday. Is the hydrangea exposed to the blazing midday sun? Then you can talk about sunburn with great certainty.
Can hydrangea flowers get sunburned?
Sunburn can be noticed on both the leaves and the flowers of hydrangeas. The main reason for the brown flowers is the hot midday and afternoon sun. IfCountry hydrangeas like Endless SummerPlanted in full sun, their flowers and leaves can turn brown, especially on hot days in July and August or during a heat wave.
What to do to save burnt hydrangeas?
If your hydrangea has gotten sunburned, it may not be too late to save the plant. Here are some measures to take.
Relocate the plant
The best way would be to change location. While this works well with hydrangeas in pots and brings a quick improvement, it cannot always be implemented with bedding plants. Older bushes in particular do not tolerate moving well. If it is a young plant, thenyou can transplant them, for example in a bed that faces west or east and is shady from midday.
Provide shade
Can't or don't want to move your hydrangea to another location? Then you can protect the plant from sunburn by providing shade. A parasol, awning or some kind of privacy screen works well as a quick solution, although in the long term you can consider planting tall plants or trees nearby.
Avoid pouring errors
If the hydrangea leaves are wet, they can quickly be burned by the sun's rays. To avoid the burning glass effect, you should be careful not to wet the leaves when watering. This way you can tooPrevent fungal infections. Always water your hydrangeas in the morning or evening, and definitely not at midday when the sun is strongest.
What to do with the burnt leaves?
If the leaves of the hydrangeas have turned brown due to sunburn, you can either cut them off or leave them as they are. Unfortunately, the burnt leaves cannot regenerate, but if you act in time, you can save the plant so that it produces healthy leaves and beautiful flowers again the following year at the latest.
Should I cut off burnt hydrangea leaves or not?
Both leaves and flowers that have sunburn can be cut back. To do this, cut off the shoot below the next pair of leaves. However, the burned leaves do not cause any damage, so they can remain on the bush. If they have not dried out, they continue to provide energy to the plant and are therefore useful. If you want to remove burnt leaves for visual reasons, make sure that you only cut off a small number.
Which hydrangeas can tolerate a lot of sun?
Although most hydrangeas prefer shady and partially shaded locations, there are also species for which full sun is not a problem. With the lush blooming onesBall hydrangeas like Annabelle, the unusual panicle hydrangeas and the special oak leaf hydrangeas, sunburn is not a problem as long as the plants are watered abundantly and the soil does not dry out.
Can hydrangea recover after sunburn?
After a good watering, your hydrangeas will likely sprout again, although severely damaged plants may take until next summer to regain their former glory. Avoid pruning as the resulting lush new growth is susceptible to further damage from late summer heatwaves.
