Mophead Hydrangeas in zone 9?

Hi. I recently purchased a "firelight" hydrangea from a nursery. It was already in bloom when I bought it and it looks beautiful! I live in zone 9 where the temps. are rather hot. It is not even spring yet and we are already reaching temps. in the 90's. In the summer temps. can reach as high as 105! I have noticed that when I place my plant outside the leaves tend to get limp. When I see this happening I immediately bring it indoors and refresh it with a nice drink of water, just enough to keep it moist. Well, after I bring it indoors it quickly becomes the beautiful plant again within minutes. I have tried putting it outdoors in the shade but, leaves still get limp. Does this mean that my hydrangea will not be able to grow outdoors? Has anyone in zone 9 particularly the lower south texas ever grown a hydrangea outdoors? If so, please let me know how things worked out for you. Could I possibly grow this indoors in a large container or is this too big of a shrub to grow indoors? Below is a pic. of my 1'st Hydrangea please help me keep it healthy and alive!!! Any input is greatly appreaciated!!!!

I can't speak for TX obviously, but the key with hydrangeas in a hot climate is plant them somewhere that they get a little bit of morning sun, but then don't see the sun at all during the hot part of the day. If you have them where they get any afternoon sun, they will be constantly wilting and never happy. Also make sure you don't plant them too near a tree, otherwise the tree will steal all the water and even if they're not in too much sun, they'll still wilt all the time. I'm not sure how well hydrangeas do indoors for the long term...you can certainly enjoy them temporarily, but I think they prefer to be outside for the long term.

I've tried planting hydrangeas outside (in shady areas) many times too and always failed. Like you, our temps get very hot in the summer (Vicksburg, MS) and I don't think I was keeping them watered as much as they like. This year I decided I'm going to try putting one in a very large pot and put it out on the east end of my porch. That way it will only get morning sun and shade for the rest of the day. I read that they like LOTS of water so I plan to water this at least every other day (just enough to keep it moist, not soggy). I'm hoping that by having it in a pot on my porch, it will be easier to take care of it and keep it well watered. I hope it works--I love hydrangeas. Maybe you have someplace where you could try this with your hydrangea. I do agree with ecrane--I think they will be happier outside.

The "hydra" part of Hydrangea tells me that they need plenty of water....they do wilt in the extreme heat and sun of Alabama as well. Best to put them in a little shadier area than you might otherwise in other areas of the country...

Speaking of wilting, I have the same problem with my impatiens, even in the shade. The heat really wilts.

Remember, in pots you will need to water more frequently.

Thanks to all for your replies! The only place I have with shade in my nice back yard is underneath an oak tree, which thanks to your imput, I now know that it is not a good place to plant them. So, I have decieded to pot them and put them on the east side of my house so that they will get morn. sun and shade for the remainer of the day. I only pray to God that my mischivious lab dosn't knock the pot down and ruin my lovely hydrangeas! He seems to believe that any object left outside is his to play with. JulieQ thanks for telling me that potted plants need to be watered more often. I had no idea about this.

You might consider putting some of those moisture crystals in your container too, that should help them stay hydrated in the heat and cut down a bit on watering frequency.

Tucson here and from what I've learned over the past year of gardening in extreme temps is to start them outside. If they make it from seed to sprout, they are more likely to survive. I've never had good luck with starting things from seed and moving them outdoors as transplants.