Hydrangea question?

I received a beatiful hydrangia as a gift. It's still in the 30's here so I can't plant it outside yet. The flowers are wilting even though I'm watering it. What else can I do? Once the flowers have wilted can they be saved?

Hydrangea question?
Flowers don't last through the growing season. They bloom, hang around for a while, wilt, and fall off. Then the plant grows some more buds and they bloom again.





I would caution you, though, about overwatering the plant. If it's still cold, the plant will not be growing very much. So, it requires less water. As such, it's really easy to overwater a plant, resulting in root rot. The symptoms of overwatering are yellowing of the foliage and leaf drop.





Don't worry if the plant exhibits a bit of wilting from lack of water. A plant can handle a period of short drought much better than overwatering. Just water it when the dirt is completely dry and/or you see a bit of wilting. When it warms up enough, you can then plant it outside.
Reply:Cheyenne,


Any flowers will wilt and die eventually. If they look a bit peaked, just dead-head them (snip them off.)


It's the plant itself you need to be concerned about. If the leaves appear to be green and healthy, then you're all set. (Please don't overwater it though...twice a week should suffice.)


You'll want to wait until the last frost date in your area to plant it outdoors, or the leaves may freeze and fall off. When you plant it outside, be sure to plant it in a shady or only partially sunny location---hydrangeas don't like full, hot sunlight.


It's a good bet that your hydrangea will re-flower this summer, too, so don't worry about the wilting flowres now :)
Reply:as long as the leaves are green you are ok. You can over water them also so be wary of that. When they need water the leaves will wilt , curl in so its pretty obvious. Dont be disappointed if the plant does not bloom. Greenhouse forced hydrangeas do not always bloom when they are planted outside. i did the same thing and it has only bloom a few times in the past 11 years. its a beautiful bush though and i looks great in my garden. Its a bonus when it blooms!