Does anyone have a suggestion for a panicle hydrangea that can truly take full afternoon sun and not turn brown right away? We are installing a drip irrigation system around our pool that get HOT afternoon sun (zone 6b) so I'm hoping to find a panicle hydrangea that can handle the blazing sun and keep an attractive color if given enough water. I love Bobo's but do they turn brown quickly in full sun? Anyone have experience with Little Lime in full sun? Looking for something that stays around 4-5 feet. Thanks so much!!

Bobo sounds like a good choice, Becca. Paniculatas are the most sun tolerant of the hydrangeas. Perfect in most locations in the northeast and native to Maryland:

https://dnr.maryland.gov/fores...

Please elaborate on your concern for getting brown blooms. You do have to remember that it is not a cactus, it is a hydrangea so the soil needs to be kept as evenly moist as possible. Watering based on a method such as water every "x" days can result in problems so every now and then use the finger method to confirm all is well watering-wise. I also use drip irrigation here. Some things to consider...

Pool areas may bounce sunlight off surface areas like walkways, walls and the pool towards plants but I have seen hydrangeas around pools in the northeast before so if you are extremely concerned for some reason, perhaps test the water with only one Bobo before investing on several Bobos.

To tell if they need water, insert a finger in several places to a depth of 4" and water if the soil feels dry.

To tell if you watered enough with each watering, insert a finger in several places to a depth of 8" and see if the soil feels dry after you watered. If a spot feels dry, you need to use more water or maybe you missed a spot. Hydrangea roots are in the top 4" so they need frequent watering and mulch to minimize soil moisture evaporation.

Get enough information from whomever will install the drip irrigation so you can easily remember how much time equals 1 gallon of water. Then once you determine how much water to use, just multiply the time by the number of gallons. For example, in my drip and with the pressure in my system, 1 hour = 1 gallon of water.

Once they leaf out, you need to start watering at Spring levels. Once temperatures typically reach 85F or higher, you need to ratchet up the amount of water to Summer levels. If temps get higher than 95F typically, consider some manual hand watering. As temperatures recede and remain below 95F, stop the hand watering. As temperatures are typically below 85F, revert watering back to Spring levels. Once the plants go dormant but before the soil freezes, reduce watering some and maybe water once a week or once every two weeks depending on local rains.

While a lot of sunlight can brown blooms, this typically happens in hot places like the southwest or when they fail to get enough soil moisture. If they lack enough water, the first thing to go is the blooms. Then if this continues, the leaves begin to brown from the edges inwards.

Do not use rock mulch around hydrangeas. Rocks absorb heat during the day and release it at night. This does not give heat respite to the plants at night and they suffer. Always use mulch to protect the roots from hot/cold temperature extremes.

Test the acidity of the soil with a soil pH kit now and then, especially after the construction phase is done. Amend the soil if you need to acidify the soil.

Wow, thank you so much for all of this great information, Luis!

The "browning" concern comes from watching way too many YouTube garden tours and seeing bobos frequently looking brown. I never considered these gardens might be in more southern locations and that is why they have a harder time keeping their color.

So you touched on one of my big concerns which is the rock mulch. That is what was here when we moved into this house and as much as I would LOVE to get rid of it, it will be a huge undertaking we aren't quite ready to do. I try to dig a large hole when I plant anything in that bed and keep the rocks as far from the plant as possible. The planting bed is also at the top of a rock wall and near tons of hardscaping.

With this additional information, do you think hydrangeas would be a poor choice for this area?

Thanks again!!

Hydrangea blooms go through a series of changes as the blooms age. Each phase lasts several weeks or around a month or so and the progression of changes can be different from one cultivar or hydrangea type to another. Bobo's blooms start white. Then they turn shades of pink, maybe add some dark dots/splotches, get some greens and finally the blooms end by browning. I suspect some of these videos were filmed at the end of the growing season, when the old blooms turned brown because they were "old" blooms and not necessarily because they were dry or planted in the south.

In the southwest, Texas included, there are locations -like mine- where temps can get into the 100s daily for several months and that can prematurely brown out paniculata blooms.... but not in MD.

Since maintaining the soil as evenly moist as possible can be difficult in some scenarios or for some persons, perhaps consider another plant that will require less attention and be ok with rock mulch in the summer so you can concentrate on spending the time in the pool and its maintenance.

Look into hardy hibiscus, daylilies, undaunted pink muhly grass, yarrow, succulents for z6.

Thank you so much for your input!! I really appreciate it!