SHRUBS > HYDRANGEA > BROWN-LEAVES

Walk through a British village or town and it’s almost guaranteed you’ll see hydrangeas, whether in a park, a churchyard, or standing proud at the boundary of somebody’s garden.

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Their vibrant colour palette features bright pinks, moody blues, pure whites, and everything in between, making this bushy flower a firm favourite for our nation’s gardeners.

What happens when those beautiful colours give way to brown, though? When things go awry, and your soft hydrangea leaves begin to crisp up and wither?

Why Are My Hydrangea Leaves Turning Brown?

Firstly – remember that most hydrangeas will die back in Autumn, causing their leaves to turn brown and fall away.

New growth will be observed in early spring, when you’ll notice green foliage sprouting from stems that might have appeared dead.

However, if your leaves are turning brown in spring or summer, there are likely other factors at play.

The precise reasons depend on the variety and their growing conditions, but in general, brown hydrangea leaves are a sign of dehydration and wilting in the heat.

1) They Got Too Hot

One sure-fire way to crisp up your hydrangea leaves is to give them too much exposure to the sun. In the spring when the mercury stays relatively low, they’ll do fine.

When things heat up over the summer however, time spent in the early afternoon rays can cause untold damage.

To avoid scorch damage: Grow your hydrangeas in a spot where they’ll get sunlight in the mornings or evenings, but not during the peak hours.

2) They Wilted Too Often

As well as being scorched, hydrangeas will brown if they’re left to wilt too often in the hot weather.

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Wilting is caused by lack of moisture, meaning there are a few good tricks to use to prevent this from happening.

To avoid frequent wilting: Give your hydrangeas a healthy glug of water every few days when the temperatures are climbing high, and treat the soil to better retain moisture.

After watering, a dab of mulch around the base of each plant should help with this by keeping moisture in the soil.

3) You’ve Got Fungal Damage

Another reason hydrangea leaves turn brown and wilt is a fungal infection called Botrytis blight.1Laughlin, S. (2022, August 30). Hydrangea Diseases and Pests. Home and Garden Education Center. Retrieved July 10, 2023, from https://homegarden.cahnr.uconn.edu/factsheets/hydrangea-diseases-and-pests/

If this is the case you’ll see the telltale blemishes start to show up: brown pockmarks and a general appearance of bruising and damage to the leaf.

Fungal damage can cause browning but you may also see yellows and purples.

If you find leaf spot on your hydrangeas, fear not. It’s often possible to nip the problem in the bud, as it were, before the damage spreads to the whole point.

To avoid fungal damage: Prevention is the best cure when it comes to fungal damage.

First, take care to remove debris and dead plant material from beneath your hydrangea bush, as this will remove the breeding grounds used by fungi.

Second, trim the lower levels of your bush to allow air to circulate. This disrupts fungi spores from settling.

“The Botrytis fungus thrives in cool and wet conditions, so avoid showering the whole plant when watering and just water at the roots,” shares Roy Nicol, a Master Horticulturist.

If you’ve missed the opportunity for prevention and are dealing with an infection you should remove all dead or severely infected leaves from the plant and destroy them to prevent further spread.

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Keep an eye on leaves with light infection, and decide whether to use natural methods or fungicide products to keep the infection at bay.

4) They’re In Transplant Shock

Repotting hydrangea plants can be a bit of a shock to their system, and sometimes the shock is enough to cause hydrangea leaves to brown.

Dig deeper and this issue also ties back to moisture, and prevention is often a case of being a bit more careful when moving your plant.

To avoid repotting shock: Massage your plant’s roots when relocating to a new pot, then water generously as soon as it’s in the new soil and maintain a regular watering routine to ensure the plant establishes in the soil.

This will give the roots of your plant adequate opportunity to absorb the moisture they need.

5) Weather Damage

A common reason for Hydrangea leaves turning brown at the edges is when late frosts occur after the first young leaves have emerged in the spring.

Typically, a plant will grow through this, growing new leaves while the older, damaged leaves drop off.

Should I Cut Off Brown Hydrangea Leaves?

The short answer is, “it depends.” While damage to leaves is unsightly, they can and will recover if you identify the problem and implement the solution early enough.

As a general rule of thumb, we recommend removing leaves when they are 50% brown or higher.

While browning caused by any reason can’t be reversed, taking the corrective action described above will encourage the plant to grow new leaves so the damaged leaves either fall off naturally or can be removed by the gardener.

If you’re vigilant and attentive to your hydrangeas it should be possible to keep them in good condition year-round.

Hydrangea Danger

While this article has shone a pretty bright spotlight on the various maladies that can befall the humble hydrangea, this plant is generally fairly easy to look after.

Take adequate steps to keep yours nicely watered over summer and out of direct sunlight in the peak sunshine hours, and you’ll be rewarded with a bountiful, colourful bloom.

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