This year my Nikko blue didn't have too many blooms, I'm assuming due to brutal winter and late frost, however it did sport tons of lush new foliage growth.
I generally do a mild prune in early spring of shoots that had flowered; if I prune the non-flowering shoots will they bear flowers that season?
~flick
If you prune the old branches, you will remove flower buds. They will only flower from older growth.
Toad
I tip-prune the branches every year (down to strong, fat buds) and every year the shrub is full of flowers. I'm just wondering if I can tip-prune non-flowering shoots and still get flowers.
Interestingly, my neighbors who have hydrangeas and don't even touch them never get flowers. I don't get it.
~flick
I have hydrangeas that do well and others that barely survive. I gave a Niko blue to my neighbors and kept several. Theirs did very well and bloomed well, that is, until they got cabin fever this year and pruned it to the ground in March. It came back and flourished, but not a single bloom.
If you want to prune, do it immediately after they bloom. Make sure they get good winter protection. Avoid strong afternoon sun. Keep evenly moist and avoid heavy high nitrogen fertilizers. I think the most important factor in my garden is the type of solid they are growing in. The ones planted in well amended soil do much better than the ones in heavy clay.
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