"But the City Lights, the Merritt's Supreme ... all the Nikko Blues - are they skipping this season?" Yes, unfortunately.

My H. macrophylla die back to the snow line annually, and so I just cut last year's branches to a few inches. I only grow rebloomers and other species of hydrangeas that bloom on new wood.

Hold off on cutting back - you might be surprised.

I have the same problem here along the CT coast. I'm afraid much of the old growth is not going to produce this year.

Today I noticed new leaves appearing along a few of the stalks ... I'm not sure about the flower buds along these branches. Most look dried and dead. I'll give them a bit more time to see what happens.

All of my hydrangeas grow on old and new wood now, so I haven't had this problem. I can see how it would be tempting to cut the tall stems down, if they only have growth at the tips. I would also give them time to fill in, if it meant there were more chance you would get bloom this season.

I thought Nikko Blue bloomed on old/new wood?

I would give it another 2 weeks to see if there is any more growth on the branches in the middle. I would cut out any branches that are dead to the base. I would trim back each branch to new growth. If it ends up looking crazy to you, you can always cut again and make them all the same height where you have new growth. Sorry you've had that problem. Let's hope this winter was a fluke.

I am having the same problem here, north of Boston, but am waiting a bit longer before trimming back . All of my Endless Summer , some quite large, are affected, while the Incrediball are not.
Salbwil

mine needed a drastic pruning anyway, and I bit the bullet this year. hoping to get a few blooms this year on the bits of old growth, otherwise, I had to cut everything back hard due to the harsh winter. SW Connecticut.

I'm sorry to hear that so many others are having unusually bad hydrangea seasons. I think I'll give my plants a little more time... it's such a busy season now anyway.

I do have Endless Summer, but it seems a little bland - this year I'll appreciate it much more, I guess! True Nikki Blue blooms only on old wood; it's the newer cultivars of h. macrophylla (like E.S.) that can also bloom on new.

The hydrangea serrata, aka mountain hydrangea, are doing just fine. I have Preziosa, Fuji Waterfall, and a few lace-cap types, plus seedling offspring that could turn out to be any type. Apparently they snooze later in the spring, so their buds survive late frosts much better. Those are probably better plants for New England, and are the closest to the macrophylla, in terms of variety of color and flower shape.

All my hydrangeas look pretty much like this, altho this one, Nikko Blue, is my oldest and biggest. Makes me want to cry. (That's my neighbor's house, btw).

But I think we all fared better than my sister in Southeast PA. She thinks all her hydrangeas are completely dead.

I have two hydrangeas, one is the H. serrata 'Blue Billow' which had no problem that I can see after this winter.

'Blue Billow'

But the H. macrophylla 'Variegata', which is in the most sheltered spot in the yard, probably died down to the ground although I'll wait and see if anything sprouts from the stems. There's new growth coming at the base of the plant.

I'd finally found a spot it liked and it bloomed in 2012 and 2013 but it won't be blooming this year.

'Variegata'

Claire

Nan ~

Worst year ever for us! Finally cut them down today. Majority of branches were dead, dead, dead...

~ Hilda

My friend in Maryland near DC had the same thing happen. While it is typical where I live north of Boston, I was very surprised to see the winter dieback so far south.

I was wondering if there was something I didn't understand about lower bush type hydrangeas when mine only leafed from the bottom. Now I know our negative temperature winter party from the polar regions is to blame. My tree hydrangeas are fine, though.

Deann (not in NH anymore)

The Hyannis Country Garden Blog contains a Hydrangea Report - Spring 2014 with discussion about the sorry condition of hydrangeas on the Cape, and how to deal with it.

Claire

Claire, thanks for posting the Hyannis article - very helpful and succinctly answers the questions. They're right - my Annabelle and Limelights are happy; not so the others.
Jane

Great link, Claire. Thanks.