How to Revive Droopy Hydrangeas

Plant your hydrangea in partial shade. Hydrangeas tolerate full morning and evening sun, but will droop if exposed to intense afternoon sun, especially in the summer. Find a place for your hydrangea where it receives dappled shade from nearby trees or erect a screening trellis close to your hydrangea. If you like, grow a sun-loving vine along the trellis.

Provide your hydrangea with water when the weather is warm and dry. During cool and moist spring and fall weather, an established hydrangea will rarely need water unless under a thick tree canopy. When hot weather hits, the plant loses water through its large leaves, causing the plant to droop. In the summer, water your hydrangea with an inch of water each week. Double this if the temperature climbs above 90 degrees.

Keep your hydrangea in well-drained soil. Hydrangeas grow best in loamy conditions. If you have clay soil, amend it with sand to improve drainage. Although hydrangeas prefer moist soils, heavy clay locks up water and makes it difficult for the shrub's roots to access the water.

Mulch your hydrangea with compost or bark chips. These products improve the soil as they break down and help the soil retain moisture. Hydrangeas are less likely to droop in fertile, moist soil.

Prune away large blooms. Your hydrangea may appear to droop when heavy blooms weigh down young branches. If the branch bends but the rest of the plant isn't drooping, trim the branch back. Leave about half the length of the branch and make the cut at a point where you see a bud forming along the branch. This will make the branch stronger for next year's bloom.