Hydrangea blooms

[Dave in The Ozarks]

This year our hydrangeas were nice and bushy -- But no blooms.

Any suggestions for next year?

Thanks, Dave in the Ozarks

[David J Bockman]

what type of hydrangeas do you have?

Dave

[Dave in The Ozarks]

I don't know the varieties. One of them grows 4-5' tall and has variegated leaves. The last couple of years it had pink blossoms. The other one grows 2-3' tall and solid green leaves. Last year it had green blossoms. This year both of them had great looking foliage.

Dave

---------------------------- >what type of hydrangeas do you have?

[Steve Wolfe]

There can be a couple of reasons. One can be that a late frost killed the buds. Another can be if you've fertilized it excessively. Do either of those sound applicable?

steve

[Dave in The Ozarks]

The over-fertilizing is a possibility.

Thanks, Dave

[animaux]

site will tell you how to prune the different hydrangeas, why and when the different forms flower, and how not to remove the blooms by accident.

victoria

[Steve Wolfe]

Applying great amounts of fertilizers to hydrangeas (and a lot of flowering plants) tends to promote foliage growth over blooms, but in order to keep the plant from producing *any* blooms. Here's an excerpt from

with more common causes:

" Hydrangeas sometimes fail to bloom. Here are several reasons...

Frost damage to flower buds Pruning in late summer Too much shade Too much high-nitrogen fertilizer Plant is not old enough yet.

Hydrangeas form their flower buds in late summer for the following year, so pruning in late summer, fall and winter will remove potential flowers. Prune when the flower heads begin to fade. Snip back other shoots to encourage branching and fullness. "

steve

[FOW]