Is there a difference in sun exposure? The brown leaves might be sunburn on a baby shrub. It will probably do better next year. Make sure you mulch well...really well.

"I do water these frequently so I am sure it is not that."

That statement caught my eye because I've been watching one of my plants that I have in a pot slowing declining because the potting soil it's in is so old that it keeps the moisture too much. I once watched a plant die that was planted in essentially a bog and the way it dies looks very much like the way one would with not enough water.

I don't really know if that is your problem, but, have you ruled out that you water them too frequently? There's an easy test: Stick your finger down into the soil.

Good luck.

Hay

I just killed a potted Oakleaf hydrangea in the above described manner. It looked wilted, leaves had fallen, much like an underwatered hydrangea. When I took it out of the pot I found that the roots were just soaking in an undrained pool of water. That will zap a hydrangea (especially an oakleaf) in no time flat. Mine had only been in that pot for two weeks at the most.

The moral to this story?....Ample water is essential, but not without ample drainage.

To investigate and identify the "brown spots", do a net search for "diseases of hydrangeas". You will find descriptions and pictures to help you figure out what the problem is, if any......yg

Thanks for the replies. My hydrangea is planted in the ground and is watered about twice a week. I looked up "diseases of hydrangeas" on the internet and think it is probably Cercospora Leaf Spot. I will attmept to remove the leaves that are spotted so it does not spread further from the water splashing onto other leaves.

My hydrangeas get watered very early in the morning from the sprinkler system - before 6:30 am. The water is on the leaves but must at least dry before the heat of the day (?). Is that still the reason why I get those brown spots on the leaves?

Thanks - Carrie