Flower Gardens

» weaselink - Hydrangias Not Blooming

My Hydrangias have not bloomed since hurricane Katrina. The bushes are beautiful, but there are no blooms whatsoever. Everything else in the same beds are fine and bloom as usual. What might have caused this problem?

-- posted by weaselink

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» Cottage_Garden - Hydrangeas Not Blooming

In response to Hydrangias Not Blooming posted by weaselink:

I'm guessing you have some of the bigleaf hydrangeas and that they bloomed fine in earlier years. Since everything else seems to be growing well in the planting beds I am thinking there might be something related to the weather this past winter.

I am not certain exactly where you are gardening, but I think I remember there was some extra cold weather this past winter/spring in Louisiana and maybe elsewhere in the gulf area as well. The cold might have damaged the flower buds for this year. Or, if you had some winter killed stems and had to prune them off, this would have removed flowering wood for this summer.

Probably the most common reasons for lack of blooms are cold damage and pruning at the wrong time of year.... if other hydrangeas in your neighborhood have the same problem then I would guess it is weather related.

If you don't think it was weather related or from pruning at the wrong time, then perhaps there is a soil issue. You could try top dressing with good quality compost and also run some soil tests and check fertility and pH and make sure nothing is out of whack there. If the plant is fairly new it may have come with slow release fertilizer in the soil mix in the container with it and this would have worn off after the first season.

Also, think back to see if there have been any changes ... new mulch, different amount of shade, that kind of thing.

I hope this helps you trouble shoot.

-- posted by Cottage_Garden

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