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allane1

Hydrangea that doesn't bloom

allane1
10 years ago

I have a Blushing Bride hydrangea that did beautifully here in Maine for the first 3 years. Last year and this year, it did not bloom at all. Any suggestions for something I should be doing..or not doing? I thought an early warm spell and then a late frost killed the buds the first year, but that did not happen this year. I fertilized in the fall, can't remember specifically what I used.

Comments (20)

  • hc mcdole
    10 years ago

    You probably need comments from other folks in your region for this hydrangea. It seems like if it bloomed for you for 3 years in a row and didn't the last two years then something has changed (weather patterns, sun/shade, water).

    It is a wonderful performer for me and I highly recommend it for gardeners in the southeast.

  • luis_pr
    10 years ago

    Your zone is too cold for BB's first set of blooms so asume the first flush got wiped out by the cold. The question then becomes why did it not bloom from the later flushes that it is supposed to have? Did you prune (if so, when?)? Are you fertilizing too much? Once a year should be fine if you use a slow-release fertilizer. Is it in deep shade? Is it planted under a tree that has begun to compete for water/food with BB? Is the soil having periods of dry followed by periods or moist soil, followed again by dry soil? Do the leaves appear to be nice, dark green and lush? Are other nearby plants exhibiting problems? Do you have pests that eat the flower buds (squirrels, bunnies, deer, etc)?

    This post was edited by luis_pr on Mon, Sep 9, 13 at 18:44

  • Missy, Traverse City, Mi Z5
    10 years ago

    I have almost the same problem with my Mini Penny, which is supposed to bloom on old and new wood. I had it in a fairly shady area, because that is what the tag said to do. When it performed poorly for two years, I moved it to where it would get more sun. I still have no blooms, actually I had one nice blue bloom this year. The plant itself always looks full and green. I didn't give it any fertilizer this year to see if was not blooming because of fertilizer. I'm about ready to yank it. I have an incredible spirit right by it, and that blooms quite well (but I don't think it is a very attractive flower).

  • Missy, Traverse City, Mi Z5
    10 years ago

    I have almost the same problem with my Mini Penny, which is supposed to bloom on old and new wood. I had it in a fairly shady area, because that is what the tag said to do. When it performed poorly for two years, I moved it to where it would get more sun. I still have no blooms, actually I had one nice blue bloom this year. The plant itself always looks full and green. I didn't give it any fertilizer this year to see if was not blooming because of fertilizer. I'm about ready to yank it. I have an incredible spirit right by it, and that blooms quite well (but I don't think it is a very attractive flower).

  • luis_pr
    10 years ago

    If you plant it and then transplant it again, I would give some time to recover. Normally, they should produce bloomage on the following year if they have a good root system. But generally speaking, it would also be ok not to have much bloomage to speak of until the third season. The plants spend the first few years developing a good root system; if they produce blooms in the meantime, that is great but do not not panic or consider it a problem. 2-3 years of waiting would be ok; more time than that and theeeen it would seriously concern me.

  • marquest
    10 years ago

    None of my Hydrangeas bloomed this year either. I wonder if any of you got the endless rains I have had this year? Maybe that is the problem.

  • lenewoo
    10 years ago

    I have had my Hydrangea for 5 yrs. It bloom the first year I had it. It want bloom no more. It is getting bigger and bigger. But, no bloom. It get full sunshine in morning hours, shade in afternoon. I water it good in afternoon.What am I doing wrong.

  • lenewoo
    10 years ago

    I have had my Hydrangea for 5 yrs. It bloom the first year I had it. It want bloom no more. It is getting bigger and bigger. But, no bloom. It get full sunshine in morning hours, shade in afternoon. I water it good in afternoon.What am I doing wrong.

  • trixietx
    10 years ago

    I planted my endless summer hydraneas 7 years ago and they have bloomed every summer until this year. They usually start blooming in June (large, showy mophead blooms) and continue until late summer.
    They have not bloomed at all this year and just now have a
    a few really small, about the size of a half dollar beginning bud heads.
    We haven't had excessive rains or heat like we have had in previous years. I don't know what is wrong.

  • luis_pr
    10 years ago

    Check to see if you have too much nitrogen in the soil, which tends to result in nice lush dark green leaves and no blooms. Some plant nurseries sell a cheapo kit that will give you results by mixing a pill, a soil sample and water. Hydrangeas can do just fine with a single application of cottonseed meal, compost or composted manure in Spring. Or you can use a general purpose, slow-release checmical fertilizer like Osmocote NPK 10-10-10.

    Or you can do a formal soil test as well but you pay a lot for it. It does give you the benefit of checking other minerals to see if you have too much or too little of them.

    Planting in dense shade can result in few blooms too but the shade has to be quite dense. Also, watch out for pruning problems if you prune multiple times thru the year.

    Use a soil pH kit in Texas once a quarter or so to make sure the soil is not becoming too alkaline. Amend it if it is alkaline.

    Try to maintain the soil as evenly moist as possible. If you have periods of dry soil, wet soil, dry soil, etc, the dry periods could make the plant abort the flower buds. Mulching it with 3-4" of mulch to the drip line or further should help the soil remain moist longer. A gallon of water per watering should do for a newly planted shrub. In the summer months, you will need to give it more water and or more often.....

  • Missy, Traverse City, Mi Z5
    10 years ago

    Luis, I always go camping in the summer and the last couple of years it has been HOT and DRY when I am gone. My plants don't get watered while I am gone, so based on your previous post, perhaps that is my problem with no blooms on my Mini Penny.

  • lenewoo
    10 years ago

    Thank you. Now this lady I know gave me a Peace Lily. I put it in a bigger flower pot. In regular potting soil. It looks like it is dead now. It was nice and healthy. Now it started drooping over. What did I do wrong. I don't know nothing about Peace Lily. HELP!

  • luis_pr
    10 years ago

    It may need to be repotted with (new) well draining soil. If the water drains right through and does not seem to be absorbing, I would try to give it new soil with some perlite. And I would also check to see if it has become root bound, in which case consider a bigger pot. If you notice that the roots appear rotted, it may have gotten too much water at some point in the past. If the plant has been in the container for more than a year, check to see if needs to be moved to a larger container (if roots are corcling) but it would not hurt to also check if it needs more fertilizer.

    Peace lilies are quite tough and have few problems: they need indirect bright light or bright shade or they may bloom poorly; if the leaf margins yellow out, add some iron and magnesium as levels of these may be low in the soil; on the other hand, if the leaf margins are browning out, they may be getting too much water or too much fertilizer; you can use insecticidal soaps or neem oil if you see insects and other pests.

  • hc mcdole
    10 years ago

    If the leaves of the peace lily don't recover after watering, you may cut them all off - new leaves will emerge in a couple of weeks. Do not keep soggy wet but don't let dry out either. Like Luis said - peace lilies are tough. I threw two goners on the compost heap one year, the next spring as I was moving the compost heap I noticed a couple of interesting green leaves emerging - it was the same two peace lilies I threw out the summer before! I dug them out, potted them up and have both to this day!

  • lenewoo
    10 years ago

    Thank you. I put them in some different potting soil, today. I will let you know how it does. What is perlite? My neighbors said I can get some rich soil with bark in at the sawmill. Will that do for compost. Its not the saw mill stuff. Its around the out side where they drag the trees in. Bark falls off of trees. The soil is rich around sawmill. Will that be ok to use for potting soil.

  • lenewoo
    10 years ago

    Thank you. I put them in some different potting soil, today. I will let you know how it does. What is perlite? My neighbors said I can get some rich soil with bark in at the sawmill. Will that do for compost. Its not the saw mill stuff. Its around the out side where they drag the trees in. Bark falls off of trees. The soil is rich around sawmill. Will that be ok to use for potting soil.

  • luis_pr
    10 years ago

    Perlite is a special rock that gets processed and becomes light, helps aerate the soil and is able to absorb a lot of water. Looks like styrofoam.

    Sorry, I do not know if that soil will work; as a rule, anything (all that bark) that eventually becomes hard or that does not absorb water is not a good candidate. If that will not happen then you could use it; otherwise, stick to potting soil.

    Here is a link that might be useful: Picture of perlite

  • lenewoo
    10 years ago

    Thanks, I will stick with potting soil. Where do I get one of these perlite at.. What kin of potting soil do I need for my Peace Lily. I am not sure what kind it suppose to be in.

  • hc mcdole
    10 years ago

    A lot of potting soil already has perlite in it. I only use perlite as a rooting media nowadays and use a quality general potting mix for almost all potted plants, maybe use moisture control potting mix for thirsty plants (elephant ears for example). Make sure it is for containers.

    You can buy bags of perlite at most nurseries and that includes big box stores.

  • lenewoo
    10 years ago

    Thank you. I will check at this place down beside my house. The store has different potting soils there. I will look for moisture control potting soil. I will make sure it is for containers Thanks. I am sure I will have more question. Hope I am not asking to many. If so. I am sorry. I will give you all a break. Thanks.