Hydrangea Not Flowering — What To Do?

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Summer is upon us and everyone loves the bright summer foliage that comes with warmer weather.

Hydrangea is a fantastic summer bloomer that is gorgeous, fun to look at and that surely makes a statement in any garden.

That being said, sometimes hydrangeas have a hard time flowering.

There are a few different reasons your hydrangea might not be flowering and we want to help.

 

Hydrangea not flowering

A hydrangea not blooming can mean that that variety’s not suited fir the area where you planted it. Other reasons could be that the soil where you plant the hydrangeas contains less nitrogen or they don’t receive enough light. But, the most common culprit for this issue is improper pruning.

 

Why is Your Hydrangea not Blooming

A hydrangea, though they are a very large plant, is rather delicate. Various reasons can possibly prevent your hydrangea from blooming.

There are a few different varieties of hydrangea and each type of hydrangea does better in a certain climate.

If you have a hydrangea that is not doing well, it may be as simple as the wrong type of hydrangea.

If you are planting new plants you do want to check the compatibility of the plant with your region.

Another issue may be that the variety of hydrangea that you have to grow off of older growth than newer ones.

If this is the case, there is a chance that you may have cut off the older wood that the flower would have come on.

With this type of plant, it is always best to take the time to look closely at the species of plant and how they grow in particular as it does make a difference.

The soil itself may be the problem. Most plants do better in soil that is balanced and that has less nitrogen.

If your hydrangea is growing large leaves but no flowers, you may have soil that is too high in nitrogen and that does need to be balanced out.

With this problem, you can always add more phosphorus to the soil to help neutralize the nitrogen.

Hydrangeas need lots of light. So, you do need to take the time to make sure your plant has enough sun and that it is also getting enough water.

With a hydrangea, you generally get large blooms once a season that stick around and that are lovely for weeks at a time.

Your plants need sunlight and proper water to be able to produce blooms.

 

Improper Pruning

The biggest issue is that you are not pruning your hydrangea correctly.

As mentioned before, different varieties of hydrangea bloom on different schedules and on different parts of the plant.

Say you have a plant that blooms on old wood, and you prune it back fully in the fall and there is no old wood for the plant to grow from in the summer.

Similarly, if you have plants that are going to grow off of new stalks and you are not paying attention, you may end up pruning the new stalks in anticipation of the flowers growing on older stalks.

It is important with this type of plant that you take the time to do the research rather than assuming that all hydrangeas are the same and that they are all going to grow in the same way.

Since there are so many different types of hydrangea, you should take the time to look at the plant in order to learn just what type of pruning needs to be done.

For plants that grow on old wood, you should prune at the base of the flower at the end of summer as the blooms start to get wilted.

You do need to wait to make sure that you are not pruning when the flowers are still in bloom and still in great shape but rather when they are starting to fade.

If you see that there are stalks that did not flower during the summer, those can also be removed to help the plant focus on other growth.

By removing the older stalks you are giving your plant a chance to do better and grow larger.

For plants that grow from the new wood, you do want to take the time to learn how to prune these as well.

With plants that grow from new wood, you want to remove all the stalks all the way down to the ground.

For larger flowers, you should be cutting your hydrangea all the way back to about three or four inches from the ground.

If you want the flower to be a bit stronger, leave about 18 to 24 inches of the old wood to give the new flowers and the new stalks a bit of added structure.

Plants that grow from new stalks are going to be a bit more forgiving with pruning than those that grow from old stalks you do have to be a bit more careful.

 

Frequently Asked Questions About Hydrangea Not Flowering

 

Do you have to prune a hydrangea?

You do need to prune your hydrangea if you are trying to keep it in a specific shape or size. With hydrangea that grows from older stalks, you can go without pruning at all. For the most part, hydrangea is rather forgiving when it comes to pruning.

 

Do all hydrangea grow in the same area?

Hydrangea grows in different areas and it is important to know what type of hydrangea you have and what region it is going to grow best in. Taking the time to learn about your plant can make all the difference.

 

Is my hydrangea dead if it does not bloom?

If your hydrangea is looking a bit worse for the wear, you should take the time to watch it and to see what is going on. Your plant may be fine and just need a bit of attention.

 

Conclusion

Hydrangea is a gorgeous plant and they do have such a beautiful bloom. They are also rather easy to grow and to keep looking great.

If you take the time to learn about your plant and to learn how to care for that particular plant you can have a great plant overall.

Hydrangeas are easy enough to grow and with the right care, they can produce huge, gorgeous blooms that are going to wow anyone that looks at them.