
Pink Flowered Hydrangea Hasn't Bloomed
I received a pink flowering hydrangea that has not bloomed in the past two years. I read somewhere that some hydrangeas have fertile and others infertile flowers, is this the problem?
The flower type (fertile or infertile) influences the look of the flower and production of seed, not the blossoming. Pruning, winter damage and fertilization can all prevent blossoms. The pink and blue flowering hydrangeas typically flower on old wood. Often our winters or overzealous pruning kills or removes all the old growth that is needed for flowering. A little winter protection may help get the stems through the winter. Encircle the plant with hardware cloth. Sink it several inches into the soil. Once the ground freezes fill the wire cage with straw or evergreen branches. Remove the mulch in spring when the temperatures begin hovering around freezing. Then remove any dead or damaged stems back to healthy wood. Do minimal pruning on the remaining stems. These cuts should be made above a set of large buds. These buds will develop into flowering stems. And as always avoid high nitrogen or excessive amounts of nitrogen fertilizers. Too much nitrogen results in large plants and no flowers.
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