The Surprising Reason My Hydrangea Wouldn’t Bloom
I used to wonder why my hydrangea wouldn’t bloom.
Do you have that problem with your hydrangeas? I did a little research, well ok then I did a LOT of research which I am sharing with you today. Hopefully, it will save you years of waiting on blooms.
Living in the deep south, we are treated to gorgeous floral showcases every spring and summer. Crepe myrtle and hydrangea are among my favorite showy displays. I have both in my yard and have had to learn proper care of them through the years.
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My Hydrangea Would Not Bloom
My hydrangea simply would not bloom and for the life of me, I could not understand why. I nursed it throughout hot, humid summers every year. Hydrangeas require shade and lots of water, I have provided both along with organic additions to the soil. I was also cutting it back every winter. Notice the photo below, it just sticks in the wintertime. I was confident those needed to be cut back. WRONG!
DO NOT CUT BACK YOUR HYDRANGEA! That is the one thing I was doing wrong. While it may seem natural to cut back, don’t do it.
Certain types of Hydrangea bloom from the old shoots! Why in the world I didn’t research it sooner is beyond me. I had been cutting mine all the way back for a few years so I think it may take it a few years for the old wood to really produce nice big flowers.
You need to know if your particular type of hydrangea does not need to be pruned. When in doubt, don’t do it.
Pruning is ok when done properly. I read to never prune more than 1/3 of the hydrangea in any given year. Some resources I read actually do say to cut the hydrangea all the way back BUT that advice is only good for a particular type of hydrangea.
There are always variables. Learn the correct method for your type of hydrangea and your geographical location. I have provided a list of resources at the end of this post.
The above photo is very early spring when the first leaves are just beginning to appear. Notice all the oak leaves on the ground for natural compost. Our soil is terrible and that is putting it mildly.
We have more sand than good dirt so composting is essential. Raking leaves into my flower beds is one of my favorite things to do. We usually also pile on new pine straw once per year on top of the leaves.
Last year was the first time we had a few pretty flowers but still not quite enough to create a bouquet for drying to use in the house. The above photo was taken in late summer when the flower bed had become the ‘Garden of Weeding’. There are always weeds to pull. We like to keep our birdfeeders full so the birds drop seeds which sprout up all sorts of weeds and wildflowers in all the wrong places.
Update: We sold this house and never did get to see our big beautiful hydrangea in full bloom. It really did take years for it to recuperate from being cut back for several years. Now I know.
Also See: How We Sold Our House In One Week
The above photo is one of the flowers on my Variegated Hydrangea. I love the variegated leaves on any plant. It looks like God put streaks in their hair!
My hydrangea advise
- Don’t cut your hydrangea down to the ground!
- Most hydrangeas bloom from the old wood, so never prune more than 1/3 of the hydrangea each year
- Research the proper care of your particular type of hydrangea
Resources for Hydrangea Lovers
- Get this book, (Amazon), Heavenly Hydrangeas: A Practical Guide for the Home Gardener. It has 5 star reviews and covers all things Hydrangea.
- Better Homes & Gardens (this article address pruning specifically)
- Match your learning to the actual plant by browsing these live hydrangea plants for sale on Amazon.
I planted two healthy hydrangeas about 4 years ago but have never seen a bloom. The first few years of growth the deer nibbled back to a stump. This year they have not been eaten and I hope to finally know what the flower looks like.
Janet, I so hope you got blooms this year. Hydrangea are so beautiful in bloom. In our new home, we put in a lots of hydrangea and I know better how to take care of them now. They are new this year so still small but loaded with beautiful blooms so far.
Hydrangeas are just gorgeous. My grandmother had one of the “blue” ones, and I’ve always wanted to try to grow one in my yard. Thanks for the tips!
You can easily tell which stalks are ready to be removed by just giving a little tug to the individual branches in the early spring. The dud’s will pull right out and the stalks that are just woody won’t move. Expect beautiful huge blooms. Try watering once every few weeks with a pitcher of warm Epsom salt water to keep the soil acidic, which they love! (avoid getting leaves or blooms wet with this mixture)
I planted a hydrangea in 2008, it bloomed once. I cut it back once and later found out that they were not to be cut back so I didn’t do it anymore. It’s a beautiful plant with leaves galore but has not bloomed since. I do not know why. Any ideas?
Hydrangeas are so pretty and fussy at the same time so thanks for sharing your research! I have two small ones but I am hoping they grow to great big bushes! Thanks for linking up @ #wednesdayswisdom
I have 3 different hydrangea shrubs on the side of my house. After doing some research myself, I’m afraid to do anything to them because I don’t know which variety each of them are. One is passed down from my husband’s grandmother, no pressure there! LOL Anyway, they do bloom so I guess I’m doing something right!
I love hydrangea bushes, they are so pretty. These are great tips. Thanks for sharing at the #HomeMattersParty – we hope to see you again next week. 🙂
~Lorelai
Life With Lorelai
I jealous! Hydrangeas are my absolute favorite but don’t do well here. Yours are SO pretty! Thanks for linking up on our Momma Told Me Party!
~Jen
Looks like a pretty flower. If I ever get one, I will be careful not to over cut it!!!
Kudos to you for looking up the reason they wouldn’t bloom. I wouldn’t have even thought to do that. Just about everything in my front yard is in bad shape, so I’ll follow your lead and research why. Although I have a hunch that it has something to do with my brown thumb 😉
I hope you do the research and find that you may have a green thumb after all! If I can grow things, anyone can!
Great tips! I’ve been thinking about planting hydrangeas, and this will help. I like your quote about God putting streaks in the their hair! 🙂
Mine were in a pot – I eventually threw them out – they’re probably blooming at the dump somewhere LOL Thanks for this info! You should put it on Hometalk 🙂
Oh, and by the way… 🙂 Thanks for joining us at the #HomeMattersParty – we hope to see you again next week! Feel free to bring a friend with you 🙂 Happy Friday! #TGIF
I just moved into my house last summer and it has a hydrangea and I had no idea how to take care of it! Thanks for sharing this, now I know what not to do!
We have about 5 crepe myrtles in our yard as well. Those need to be pruned back a good bit for better flowering. We waited a few years before we started pruning ours and they didn’t bloom as well as they do now. I have a friend who quit pruning his crepe myrtles to see how tall they would get. I think Ga. Power has to cut his out of the power lines and they bloom beautifully! He has much better dirt than we do. I know those are special from UGA!
I like growing flowers much more than growing food. I know I should be ashamed but I’m not.
I’d like to root some hydrangea also! That would be awesome.
Oh my gosh, Shirley, I did that one year, too and kept wondering why my hydrangeas wouldn’t bloom! I found out the hard way. This past year they were gorgeous. I’m now afraid to even prune them. A couple of years ago I planted 4 white chocolate crepe myrtles and 2 of them bloom and 2 don’t. What do I need to do to them? I haven’t tried pruning or anything. They were created (or whatever it’s called) at UGA, so they are extra special!! 🙂
This year I’m going to try rooting some hydrangeas from the ones I have and blogging about it. 🙂