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my Hydrangea


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Do tell, how do you get it to bloom?

 

Back in 2000 when we first moved into our house, my wife brought home this beautiful blue flower plant in a pot that she announced was a Hydrangea and instructed me to plant it in front of the house.   The only time that plant had any flowers on it was when it was in the pot.   The next summer, the plant started to grow BUT no flowers white or blue, and the thing has grown every summer since.   I've tried to keep it trimmed down but it really got out of hand this year BUT it never gets flowers.   It is probably as big as yours or even bigger but no flowers, just leaves.

 

My wife wants it cut down.

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The blue Hydrangeas are usually not hardy here or they need a specific PH to make blue flowers although there are now varieties on the market that will grow blue flowers reliably.  Be wary when buying to make sure of what you are actually getting.  Something from the supermarket is probably not going to be a good garden plant.  Finding a good variety for here in PA would be a good thing to call your local Cooperative Extension about.  http://extension.psu.edu/counties

 

If you are referring to the BUDS Gardeners donation box, then yes, we can always use donations that would otherwise go into a landfill.

 

We can use anything involving growing plants, and we always need supplies for the gift wrapping at the Mall the week before Christmas.  

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Do tell, how do you get it to bloom?

 

Back in 2000 when we first moved into our house, my wife brought home this beautiful blue flower plant in a pot that she announced was a Hydrangea and instructed me to plant it in front of the house.   The only time that plant had any flowers on it was when it was in the pot.   The next summer, the plant started to grow BUT no flowers white or blue, and the thing has grown every summer since.   I've tried to keep it trimmed down but it really got out of hand this year BUT it never gets flowers.   It is probably as big as yours or even bigger but no flowers, just leaves.

 

My wife wants it cut down.

The blue hydrangea that is most commonly sold is 'Nikko Blue'. Around here it is consistently blue and it is fully hardy as far as roots and stems are concerned. The problem is the flower buds. These plants set flower buds in the summer. That means that those buds have to survive the winter cold and winds for the plant to bloom. They rarely do. Mine is set in an angle between the porch and the house and I ocassionally get a flower or two. I used to pin the branches to the ground and cover them with pine needles in an attempt to keep the flower buds from freezing but that made the leaves come out very  early in the spring.  Then the pine needles had to be removed so that the leaves wouldn't rot and a late freeze would get the flower buds.

Cutting this type of plant back in the fall or winter is a no-no or it will never bloom. If you are going to prune do it right after the plant blooms or in late spring. This gives the flower buds a chance to form over the summer.

If you do have a white hydrangea that is bud hardy you might just be cutting off the flower buds or the branches that produce the flower buds every year. Hydrangeas mostly bloom on old wood (branches that grew last year) so pruning at the wrong time can keep the plant from blooming by either removing the formed flower buds or the wood on which they would form.

That white one that Outlaw has is a winner. I suggest you go over to his house with a shovel and see if it has suckered.  

 

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I have 4 around my house that have never bloomed..only the very first year as I was told by the previous owner.  I read that you should prune them before the end of August...just a bit.  I did and still no flowers.  This year I am not trimming them at all...and we'll see what happens next year.

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  • 4 weeks later...

The blue Hydrangeas are usually not hardy here or they need a specific PH to make blue flowers although there are now varieties on the market that will grow blue flowers reliably.  Be wary when buying to make sure of what you are actually getting.  Something from the supermarket is probably not going to be a good garden plant.  Finding a good variety for here in PA would be a good thing to call your local Cooperative Extension about.  http://extension.psu.edu/counties

 

If you are referring to the BUDS Gardeners donation box, then yes, we can always use donations that would otherwise go into a landfill.

 

We can use anything involving growing plants, and we always need supplies for the gift wrapping at the Mall the week before Christmas.  

 

That must be why I've had trouble with them here.  

 

Down South when grown in semi shade they will stay blue, if too much sun gets to them they turn pink.

 

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