Hydrangea: Failure to Bloom

Problem
Hydrangeas fail to produce blooms in the spring.

Analysis
Hydrangeas may fail to bloom for several reasons:

1. Cold injury: Extreme winter temperatures or late spring cold snaps will kill hydrangea flower buds, which form during the late summer or fall.

2. Improper pruning: Because some hydrangea species produce flower buds in the late summer or fall, pruning in the winter or spring will remove these potential flowers.

3. Too much shade: Hydrangeas growing in deep shade may fail to form flower buds.

Solution
The numbered solutions below correspond to the numbers in the analysis.

1. Plant hydrangeas in a protected spot in the garden. Protect them by placing a wire cylinder around each plant and then filling it with loosely packed straw, or cover the cylinder with burlap. Protect hydrangeas grown in containers by moving them to a cool basement during the winter.

2. Prune hydrangeas after they have finished blooming by cutting back the longer branches.

3. Expose the plants to brighter light by pruning away some of the surrounding vegetation, or transplant hydrangeas to a location that receives filtered or half-day sun, or full sun in cool-winter areas.