Spur your hydrangeas to bloom with these straightforward tips for promoting tons of long-lasting flowers.
Here are 7 common reasons you might see hydrangeas not blooming.
These hydrangeas bloom from flower buds that formed the previous summer or fall.
Credit: Kritsada Panichgul
The best time to prune bigleaf and oakleaf hydrangeas is early summer, right after they finish blooming.
What to do:Prune your hydrangeaat the right time, and youll avoid cutting away flower buds.
Winter Injury
Oakleaf and bigleaf hydrangeas form flower buds in late summer and fall for the following spring.
Credit: Kritsada Panichgul
The tender flower buds must survive winter to bloom in spring.
Blasts of extreme cold and ice damage can kill flower buds.
In USDA Zone 5 and colder,susceptible hydrangeas flower best with winter protection.
Hydrangeas in Zone 6 can benefit from winter protection, too.
Dry conditions in fall contribute to winter damage and subsequent lack of flowers.
What to do:First,water plants deeplyin the fall.
Fill the cylinder with leaves or straw.
Remove the cylinder and leaves in early spring.
Deer Damage
Tender stems and fleshy buds serve as a welcomesnack for deer.
Hydrangeas are commonly browsed by deer year-round.
What to do:Protect plants with a barrier or a deer-repellant spray.
Sprays must be diligently reapplied after every rain.
If deer become insensitive to a particular spray, try a different brand.
Too Much Nitrogen
Nitrogen fertilizerpromotes deep green leaves but few flowers.
Avoid fertilizing your hydrangea with a high-nitrogen fertilizer.
Late Freeze
A late freeze in spring can kill developing flower buds.
What to do:Pay close attention to the weather forecast in spring.
If a late freeze is predicted,protect your plants from frostwith sheets or blankets.
Secure the cover to the ground with bricks, rocks, or anything heavy.
Not Enough Light
Hydrangeas grow best inbright morning light and part shade in the afternoon.
Plants growing in too much shade will result in hydrangeas not blooming on elongated, floppy stems.
What to do:Move a hydrangea planted in too much shade to a brighter growing location.
The best time to transplant a hydrangea is early spring.
Bigleaf hydrangeas most often fall into this category of unpredictable bloom patterns.
These hydrangeas are unlikely to rebloom even if you plant them outdoors.
Althoughdeadheading a hydrangeaisn’t necessary, cutting away spent blooms encourages most hydrangeas to make new flower heads.
It also encourages new foliage and stem growth.
Hydrangeas that bloom on new wood can be deadheaded during the growing season to grow more blooms.
The exception is old wood hydrangeas that bloom on last years stems.
Deadheading them wont produce additional flowers, although it might tidy them up.
Take your pick fromthree methods of propagating a hydrangea: division,stem cuttings, or ground layering.
