Marianne's Response

Why are my hydrangeas turning brown?

hydrangeas turning brown

Hi Marianne,
I have four large hydrangea bushes I planted about eight years ago. Each spring they are fuller and more beautiful than the year before. Last spring my largest bush started to have branches and blooms that turned brown and had shriveled leaves. This year the same thing is happening to the other three bushes. My hydrangeas are turning brown.
I have asked local people with some garden knowledge and not had success. In searching the internet I am also not finding this problem addressed.
What would you suggest on why my hydrangeas are turning brown?
Thank you so much for your help.
Sincerely,
Julie

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Posted by Julie Woodward on June 17, 2022

Marianne's Response

You have my sympathy! I love my hydrangeas and watched two huge plants of my own decline in much the same way. I cannot say for sure you have the same problem but in my garden it ended up being a vole that had burrowed under the hydrangea and damaged the roots. The oldest leaves would fall off first and the other leaves turn yellow much like in the photo you provided. Try to firm the soil down around the roots and check for signs of tunneling. There is some hope as one of my damaged hydrangeas is starting to come back to life after I cut it almost to the ground last winter. Voles are field mice that use mole runways. They can be controlled using a mouse trap set near the opening of their runways.  Good luck and Keep Growing, Marianne Binetti

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