I have a Hydrangea that was in bloom when I planted it, but has not bloomed in 3 years. I don't prun it I leave the old wood every year and every spring it starts again new. nothing grows on the old. can you tell me what is wrong? Thank You
Pat Kimble

Pat, the first thing I would check is whether your plant gets enough sun and water. Another factor to consider is whether early spring freezes killed the flower buds. If your plant continues to grow but doesn't bloom, try moving it to a different location. Or do what I do and threaten to put it through a chipper. That always works. Grumpy

I'm in Pennsylvania. Do I prune my hydrangea or not?

In Harrisburg,yes; in Punxatwney, no.

Just kidding. What I recommend is not doing any pruning until you see where on the stem the new growth starts. Usually flower buds will be big, fat green buds. If you see green buds start to swell and the stem above is dry and brown, you can cut back to the bud. In summer, prune off old flowers as they fade. But don't prune the stems then or you may cut off dormant flower buds for next year.

I have three hydrangea plants that I cut back over four years ago (they were here when we moved to this home). I know now I should not have done that or at least I was told that. They come up with new green every summer (from the ground, not on the old stems) but have only one or no blooms per bush. Did I ruin them? Will they ever bloom again? As you can see, I am very inexperienced at this!

Cutting back hydrangeas at the wrong time can ruin the bloom for the following year, but not forever. (The time to cut back most of them is right after the flowers fade, as they flower on the previous year's growth. Exceptions are 'Endless Summer,' 'All Summer Beauty,' and 'Pennymac,' which bloom on both old and new growth.) It sounds like your plants aren't getting enough sun or perhaps there is some other factor involved. Where do you live?

Thanks for getting back to me. I live in Northern Illinois. They get sun till around 1:00 p.m. then mostly shade the rest of the day. Alana

Your placement of your hydrangeas seems just about right to me. I suspect the problem might have more to do with where you live. Winter in northern Illinois may be killing a lot of the flower buds that formed the previous year. If that's the case, you might want to replace your plants with a hydrangea called 'Endless Summer.' It blooms on both old and new growth, meaning that even if winter cold kills flower buds made last year, it will form new ones and still bloom.

Here's a link for 'Endless Summer' and a source: http://www.hydrangeashydrangeas.com/endless_summer.html

I do remember when we moved here about five years ago they were prolific bloomers for that summer, just gorgeous, I was so excited about them. It was at the end of that year that I trimmed them back sadly. I do think we have had colder winters since then. Lots of freezing rain, putting down a layer of ice then a lot of snow on top of that for the last few years. Thanks for the link, it looks as if that would be my solution. Thanks again, Alana

I bought mine over a year ago full of flowers. It never bloomed again. It never gets below 70 degrees here so i know its not the cold and i am stumped. We have tried all different types of fertilizers and everything, but still, nothing at all. The leaves are growing wonderfully too.

It never gets below 70 degrees? That might be the problem. Where do you live?

In Hawaii

I've never gardened in Hawaii, but I've done some checking around and it seems hydrangea does just fine there. The things you need to make sure of are that it gets a good deal of light, plenty of water during dry periods, and that you only prune branches immediately after their flowers fade. Most hydrangeas bloom on last year's growth, so if you prune them in fall or winter, you'll probably cut off the flower buds.

Hi,
I have wonderful nikko blue hydrangea's that bloom all the time, but the bush is not full. I never cut them, and there on the west side, so it gets shade and morning sun. I don't know what esle to do. How can I get the shrub full again. This is their 3rd year. I do live in Joliet, Ill. Please help make them full again. And where, If you know! Can I get a Hydrangea Tree in Illinois. Thank you, Trina

'Nikko Blue,' the most widely planted French hydrangea (even with all the hype over 'Endless Summer'), blooms on growth made the previous year. The trick to shaping up your plant is to prune it at the right time. You could do this gradually or all at once. Wait until the blossoms start to fade, then prune it back to a bushy shape. This should leave it time to produce flower buds for next year.

I don't live in Illinois, so I can't give you a local source for a hydrangea tree, which I assume is peegee hydrangea (Hydrangea paniculata 'Grandiflora') trained to a tree shape. However, a good mail-order source is Wilkerson Mill. The website address is http://www.hydrangea.com/
GG

I live in the south of England uk. Whenever i plant out hydrangea house plants, in a suuny spot in my garden, although the plant grows they never produce flowers. How can I recify this?

It sounds like you're planting florist hydrangeas, which are forced into bloom in greenhouses by the use of growth regulators. These plants probably take a year to shake off the regulator's effects before they settle into a normal bloom cycle. So my advice is to buy hydrangeas that are grown outdoors at a garden center.

And may I say, I am greatly flattered that you would ask the Grump for advice, as England is the gardening capital of the world.