Why is my hydrangea not blooming this season?

Last year I got a hydrangea and it bloomed very nicely all season long. I fertilized it according to directions, and it almost doubled in size, has really nice leaves, but there are no blooms...any suggestions/answers?

Why is my hydrangea not blooming this season?
Some varieties don't bloom year after year. The Mophead (rounded) varieties are notorious for not blooming year after year.

Also, a lack of blooms could be due to pruning at the wrong time.

Or...sometimes hydrangea will leaf out early in the spring during a warm spell and then get caught in a late spring freeze. If the new growth came only from the ground, then types of hydrange that blooms only on old wood will not bloom this year. In frost zones, winter protection %26amp; planting in an area away from drying winter winds helps.



The smooth hydrangea (Hydrangea arborescens), bloom on new wood. Others, like some mopheads and many big-leaf hydrangeas (H. macrophylla) bloom on old wood, so any late-season (or fall or winter) pruning you do erases next year's flowers. The safest time to prune is right after flowering. Cut the spent blooms to the ground; then prune out any old, dead or weak shoots.



Phosphate encourages flowering. It's ideal to use a fertilizer low in Nitrogen and with a Phosphorus content over 30. (An N-P-K ratio of 10-40-10 is ideal) %26amp; fertilize them regularly. Organic soil enriched with compost is best. If you're using store-bought fertilizers %26amp; you don't want to fuss with a scheduled feeding of fertilizer, you can also use a slow-release fertilizer like osmacote or use manure around your plants. Water on a consistent basis. Morning sun and afternoon shade is ideal. Too much shade will retard the development of flowers. Full sun can scorch the leaves so part sun to shade is best.



Here's a forum discussing why Hydrangeas weren't blooming:

http://forums.gardenweb.com/forums/load/...

Good luck! Hope this helps.
Reply:You're welcome! I'm glad this info was helpful. Maybe you can plant it in a more protected area, or use a protective shield around it when you see a frost coming after the warm spell. I bent old gutter guards into a circle around mine %26amp; used leaf mulch as a blanket inside the enclosure. Report It
Reply:they need to be fed, check with your local nursery and they will tell you exactly what you need. it depends on the zone, type of dirt, and weather
Reply:Give it time and alittle t.l.c it will bloom a little later because of plant jet lag due to green house effect,meaning it was raised in green house until you bought ok.