Hydrange Care Part One

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Limelight Hydrangea has unique bright green blooms in mid-summer that hold its bright and refreshing color right into autumn when the blooms change color to a rich deep pink. It takes sun to shade conditions and grows 5-6 tall and wide.

Why Doesn't my Hydrangea Bloom? Reasons #1 and #2

I've had a few customers ask me this season why their hydrangeas aren't blooming. The primary two reasons hydrangeas don't bloom are incorrect pruning and bud damage due to winter and/or early spring weather.

Let's start with pruning…
Hydrangea varieties can be of the type that blooms on old wood, new wood or both. Old wood is the current year's growth and new wood is next year's (spring) growth.

•Say you purchased a Nikko Blue Hydrangea this year (2008). Nikko's produce blooms in the fall for next year. So this fall (2008) your Nikko is producing blooms that will flower next spring (2009).

•So you wouldn't want to prune your Nikko Blue Hydrangea to the ground this fall when you are cutting back your perennials. You would be essentially cutting off your hydrangea blooms for the following spring by pruning the Nikko Blue Hydrangea this fall.

•Endless Summer is a hydrangea variety that blooms on old and new wood with the idea being the plant will set blooms this fall (2008) to blossom not only next spring (2009) but will continue to produce blooms next spring to extend the blossoms into next summer.

•Again, you would not want to prune your Endless Summer Hydrangea in the fall because you would be cutting off some of next spring's blooms.

The plant tag on the hydrangea will tell you if the plant blooms on old wood, new wood or both. It is always best to wait and prune your hydrangeas in the spring. Once the plant starts growing you will see stems that do not have any leaves and are brittle when bent. These stems should be pruned near the base of the plant since they are dead and will not produce any blooms.

Weather is another factor….
Weather most likely is the second reason as to why your hydrangeas aren't blooming. Hydrangea buds are very sensitive to cold. So if you have an old wood hydrangea it is a good idea to wrap your hydrangea for the winter. Remember, old wood hydrangeas set blooms in the fall for the following spring. So if the buds produced in the fall are frozen in the winter, you will not have blossoms in the spring.

•Ordinary burlap can be used for wrapping. After the first hard frost and when leaves have fallen off the hydrangea wrap burlap around the plant and fill it with leaves or mulch. This provides insulation for the plant and protects the buds so they will overwinter into next spring. Never use plastic to wrap your hydrangeas. Plastic unlike burlap doesn't breathe so when warmer winter days arrive, the plant cannot breathe and can warm to such high temperatures the plant cooks inside the plastic and dies.

Late spring killing frosts are the other most common weather related reason as to why hydrangeas do not bloom. Both this year and last year, we had very cold temperatures in April following warm spring days. Hydrangeas need to be covered with an old beach towel or sheet when spring temperatures drop to freezing. The temperature drop will kill the buds thus no flowers.