My daughter gave me a blue hydrangea several years ago and it hasn't bloomed since I planted it outside. Why?

Every year it comes back with healthy beautiful leaves and no flowers. What am I doing wrong? Does it need acid soil?

My daughter gave me a blue hydrangea several years ago and it hasn't bloomed since I planted it outside. Why?
Many Hydrangeas bloom on last years wood. if you live in a colder climate it is dieing back to the ground and it will not bloom on the new wood that grows back this season.. You need a hydrangea suited for your climate. I have no clue why nurseries sell them and don't tell people this.
Reply:Hydrangeas prefer acidic soil and partial shade. Try fertilizing it with a product such as Miracle Grow for acidic plants (ie Hydrangeas).
Reply:It will bloom, just hold on. The color of it depends on the acidity of the soil--whether it stays blue or turns pink. I read that.
Reply:You have to prune it back hard in the autumn, mine likes acid based fertilizer and I use Epsom salt around the base for more blooms and color variation. Mine started as a gift in a container until I planted it in the ground 8 years ago. It is now huge and a prolific bloomer.
Reply:It does need acid soil, but will generally still bloom without it. It could be one of 2 problems. First, I live in a very northern area, with cool nights, as low as 40, even in summer, with a late start to the growing season (late May-early June). My hydrangeas generally don't bloom until August. So if you live in a cooler area, they may not bloom until late, or not at all. Another possibility is over pruning. Some hydrangeas, not all, only flower on old growth. If you prune all the tips every year, it may not bloom if it is that type of cultivar.
Reply:It could be the fertilizer. I am not sure but there are some plants that if they get to much nitrogen they will have beautiful foliage but no blooms.

I have a hydrangea that my daughter gave to me last year for Mother's Day. It was blue when she bought it and now it is pink.

Sometimes it even will turn purple
Reply:You really need to know what type of Hydrangea it is. Acid soil produces blue flowers and sweet soil produces pink. You can change the color of the bloom by amending the soil. This does not explain the lack of bloom. It could be that you are pruning the plant in the Fall or Spring. Many Hydrangeas will only bloom on old wood. Newer varieties, and those traditionally grown in the North, bloom on both new and old wood. Recommend you stop pruning it.
Reply:I have a hydrangea plant in my yard as well. when we first got it, it didn't bloom the first or second year after we planted it. we were dissapointed, but didn't do anything to the plant. the next year, it bloomed! I think it has to establish itself before it tries to make flowers.