I have had 2 hydrangea bushes for years now and they don't bloom. I just have beautiful green leaves every year. They are planted in the open. Every thing around them blooms; lilacs, daffodils, torch lilies, and weigelias, but not them.
Can anybody help me? Thanks.
Hardiness Zone: 7b
By Kay from Boonville, NC
My hydrangea is 15 years old and it is this year that it has so many blue blooms on it, as I put the used coffee grounds on top of the soil all spring. All this time, it always grew healthily and had beautiful green leaves but hardly any blooms. The only thing that is different this growing season is that here in zone 4, we had a very unusual rainy spring.
Hi, I Had this problem once. I Was told not to prune them after July because you will risk cutting off future blooms. Apparently they begin their new bloom process early. I have mine in a large pot and have not pruned them for two years and they have bloomed since.
Here are the questions asked by community members. Read on to see the answers provided by the ThriftyFun community.
My hydrangeas have budded but not bloomed. I live in New England and have four seasons. Fall will be within the next 4-6 weeks.
Will they bloom if they are budding? They bloomed once already this year.You may have the type of hydrangeas that bloom on old growth (early summer) and again on new growth (late summer/early fall) so be patient and they should bloom before the first frost.
I use coffee grounds (not too many too often) and used tea bags and they bloom nicely every year.
Here is an excellent link to instructions on how to care for your hydrangeas.
When your hydrangea wont bloom, it is because of the species of hydrangea you have planted. Some of them grow flowers off of new wood and some of them will grow flowers off of old wood.You need to find out what variety you have.Hydrangea macrophilia get blue or pink flowers on them. However, they produce a lot of cultivars and these cultivars can die back to the base of the ground in the winter, particularly if you have had a colder than normal winter.
Too much nitrogen or a lack of phosphorus in the soil could be the reason.You may need soil rich with phosphorus fertilizer.
I have 4 plants in different areas of my yard and not one has produced a flower this year. They all have plenty of green leaves. Why?
Hello !
It could be due to the way you pruned them. Pruning an hydrangea is not easy. It has to be done at the end of the winter season. You should first cut the dead flowers but just above the new bud, that is the important point, because the flowers appears on the old wood only, that is the part of the branches which are already one or two years old. This is to make the hydrangea produce flowers, and to keep a nice shape and help the growth of new shoots you have to first cut the dead branches (they are blackened) and some of the oldest branches, to recognize the oldest branches is easy they are whiter, stronger and branched.
My housemate cut my old wood hydrangea back to the ground 2-3 years ago, and after sternly making sure he never does it again (!) I have waited and watched for it to bloom once again. So far it hasn't. I don't fertilize it, and we've had plenty of rain this year, it gets plenty enough sun, but there it sits in all its leafy green glory, refusing to put out a single blossom.
How long after such a hard pruning will it take for my poor hydrangea to bloom once again? Would bone meal help?My plant book says if they are pruned wrong it can take 3 years to come out of it. Meanwhile, I would fertilize it.
I have 2 "Endless Summer" hydrangea plants. They are planted about 20 inches apart so they get the same water and sun. Both had blossoms last year. This year, one is full of blossoms and the other does not have one, not even a bud. Both are the same size and full green. Any ideas?
By Joann G.
I'm not sure where you are located, but we had early hot weather in March, which caused my Endless Summer to bud out early and then we got several killing frosts in April and May which froze all the buds off. The best way to ensure your Endless Summer will bloom is to cover the plant completely with shredded leaves or straw for the winter and don't remove the protection until mid-late May.
My hydrangea plant hasn't had blooms for the past two years. Should I dig them up or what can I do to invigorate them to bloom? All I get are the green leaves.
By Jim B
I would leave them where they are and fertilize them this fall & put some epsom salt (sprinkle 3 or 4 tablespoons around each). The only other things are water and don't trim until after they bloom as some bloom on old growth and some on new growth each year.
My hydrangea is growing larger and larger, but has no buds. Is there something I need to add to the soil or just be more patient? I have a second kind, but it has small clusters of little flowers and they are starting to bloom so they are OK. Thanks for any help you can give.
By jackie
My neighbor puts used coffee grounds (free at Starbucks!) around the base of her hydrangea plants. They have the largest, most beautiful blooms I've ever seen!
My hydrangea grows, but does not bloom. Any advice?
Hardiness Zone: 5b
By Becky Zirkle
EasyInstructionsThings You'll Need:
Pruning shears
Garden gloves
Chicken wire
Shovel
Fertilizer
Water
Step 1Find out if the hydrangeas are the type that bloom off of old wood-growth from previous years. Hard winters can damage old growth, causing it to die back. If this is the case, there will be no flowers during the current growing season. Protect old-wood growth by building a chicken wire cage around the plant and filling it with leaves and pine needles to help insulate the plant during the winter months.
Step 2Don't over-prune hydrangeas that bloom off of old growth in early summer or late winter because the plant will die back even further, resulting in no buds to put forth blooms. Prune in the spring when the buds can be seen.
Step 3Plant hydrangeas in shade but not too much shade. If the plant is producing beautiful leaves but no flowers then it's getting too much shade. Transplant to another location.
Step 4To much fertilizer and water or not enough fertilizer and water will cause the plant to not flower. Fertilize in early spring and early autumn using a time-release formula. A time release fertilizer mix of 10-10-10 or 16-16-16 works well.
Step 5Transplant non-blooming hydrangeas to sides of buildings or northern and eastern slopes for better protection during the winter months. Also plant under evergreen trees, which will offer good protection.
good luck.
I have three Nikko Blue Hydrangeas that used to bloom beautifully, but this year there are very little blooms, and most of them are near the bottom of the plants. The mop heads that bloomed are just as large as ever, but nowhere near the quantity of blooms we're used to seeing.
Linda, it depends on where you live if they prefer shade. If you are in the south where there are hot summers, then it is a good idea to put them in the shade. But I am in the midwest, in zone 5 and I have hydrangeas on the east side of my house and they get morning sun and do just great.
I have had my blue mophead hydrangea for two years. Last year I transplanted it in my yard, facing the west, and it seemed like the western exposure was too strong, because the leaves were turning brown, so I moved it to the southwest side of my home. It has lots of healthy dark green leaves, but still no blooms. I have tried everything, used black cow manure, Epsom salt (at different times) and I water it every other day, but still no blooms.
By Lynn T.
It took my mophead several years to bloom--about three as I remember. I didn't do anything to it. I am a put it in the ground and let it be. Give it a couple of years from the last planting and unless your soil is very poor, just leave it alone. Hope this helps.
I have a hydrangea tree that has had lots of white flowers on it for two years. This year it has lots more leaves, but so far no flowers (or buds).
Could it be because of our frequent rainy weather? I live in the southern tier of New York State.It may need to be pruned. Get some good pruning shears and see if it can relieve stress off the plant so it can get a chance to rebloom.
Prune the dead wood away. Prune any time except the early spring.
Hello, I just bought a Hydrangea Tree, and the garden center employee said to let it grow during the summer and fall. Don't prune until early spring. I live in Ont. Canada.
These can be very beautiful when blooming and generally even older blooms do not look 'ugly'.
There is a lot to know about the Hydrangea trees/bushes but knowing what type of Hydrangea you have is the first step.
This may be your type?
Grandiflora, known among gardeners as Pee Gee Hydrangea, is your best bet for growing a hydrangea tree.
Hopefully you already have this information but if not, read some of the information sites and see if you can determine your plant's type/name.
Each link has good points.
www.gardeningknowhow.com/
It seems you must be in the correct USDA zone for growing Hydrangea as zones 1-8 are usually recommended so perhaps you have just not been pruning your tree each year.
Another factor of course is the pH of the soil.
I have a tester that I have used for years and it is really helpful with Hydrangeas. These testers are sold at most large stores and all garden center stores so maybe you might want to check one out sometime. They are sold on line also.
www.amazon.com/
homeguides.sfgate.com/
Just in case someone is interested in finding out what USDA zone they live:
I have a hydrangea that blooms beautifully on one side, but not the other! What is wrong?
By Peg
I have 4 hydrangea plants. I planted them at least 4 years ago, I never trim them, I just leave them the way it is all year round. I planted them, some in the shade and some in the sun. For many years, they never bloomed. Last year 1 of them suddenly bloomed 2 flowers, but the others still never bloom and this year none bloomed.
By Sharon C.
I have a blue flowing hydrangea, it had blooms last year, but so far it only seems to be growing higher, all leaves.
By Gwen G.
My mophead hydrangea has flower buds, but only a few open up. What am I doing wrong?
Hardiness Zone: 6a
By barbara from MA
ThriftyFun is one of the longest running frugal living communities on the Internet. These are archives of older discussions.
I have two hydrangeas plants placed next to each other. One blooms beautiful flowers and the other never blooms. They were planted at the same time and I was wondering why.
How do you make hydrangeas bloom? I have beautiful lush bushes with no blooms. I do not cut them down at the end of the season.
We have two hydrangea plants that were given to us at same time.
