7 REASONS WHY YOUR HYDRANGEA MAY NOT BLOOM
There is no doubting that hydrangeas appear to be a miracle.
Technically known as inflorescences, their striking blossoms range in hue from deep purple to bright pink, frosty blue to mild lavender. Additionally, there are types with green or white blossoms.
You can find it especially disappointing when they don’t send out their own flowers because of how magnificent their show is.
Don’t get me wrong; I also adore plants like spireas. However, I didn’t have the same sense of loss as I did when my ‘You and Me Together’ hydrangea stood bare for a season after a trimming error one year caused them to remain bloom-less.
Let’s face it: hydrangeas may be finicky when it comes to temperature, light, and moisture, so the gardener must put in some effort to assist them be as attractive as they possibly can.
But most problems are simple to solve if you understand what’s happening.
The five main types of hydrangeas are climbing (H. petiolaris), smooth (H. arborescens), panicle or peegee (H. paniculata), oakleaf (H. quercifolia), and bigleaf (H. macrophylla), as was covered in our guide to cultivating hydrangeas.
Bigleaf, also known as French hydrangea (though this species originally comes from Japan), is the species that gardeners experience problems with most often when it comes to a lack of blossoms.
Numerous bigleaf and oakleaf varieties only bloom on old wood, that is, wood that was grown the summer before or earlier. On the other hand, new wood is what appears during the current growing season.
A plant’s propensity for flowering may affect whether or not it produces flowers. You won’t receive a flowery display that year if something bad happens to the old wood as it is putting out the buds that will eventually bloom.
But not only plants that flower on aged wood can experience blooming failure. We’ll go over seven of the most typical problems you can encounter up ahead, along with solutions.
7 Reasons Why Hydrangeas May Fail to Bloom
- Hungry Deer
- Excess Nitrogen
- Harsh Winters
- Not Enough Water
- Pruning Problems
- Too Much Shade
- Too Much Sun
1. Hungry Deer
All groups of hydrangeas, from bigleaf to climbing, are “occasionally severely damaged” by deer, according to data provided by the New Jersey Agricultural Experiment Station at Rutgers University, which collaborates with specialists to rate the deer tolerance of various plants.
The deer searching for food “often preferred” these plants, according to that statement. What relevance does this have to your failure to notice the flowers you desire, then?
The deer may consume the buds on the old wood during the autumn, winter or spring, which is a regular worry. If that occurs and you have a plant that only produces flowers on old wood, you won’t get blooms the following season.
It’s possible that deer nibbled some but not all of the buds if your plant occasionally produces a few flowers that appear to be in great health but overall the number of blooms is decreased.
It is common knowledge that deer will only browse a few branches here and there before moving on to another plant.
So how do you tell the difference between damage from deer and harm from other kinds of pests? If you can’t see the creatures, search for their distinctive eating patterns.
You can tell when deer have ripped something because the plant’s leaves have ragged edges and broken stems.
Additionally, they prefer to eat young, green wood, buds, and leaves while avoiding brown wood and petioles (the stalks of the leaves).
Naturally, the answer is to keep scavenging ungulates out of your garden. The most effective barrier is fencing, and if you need assistance building your barrier, consult our guide on deer fencing.
You can also wrap plants in burlap, which has the added benefit of protecting them from extreme cold, another culprit that may result in failure to bloom.
Learn more about this below in the section on harsh winters.
2. Excess Nitrogen
Any flowering plant that receives an excessive amount of nitrogen fertiliser may spend all of its energy producing its foliage rather than its flowers.
One of the essential nutrients that plants require to survive is nitrogen. They use it to support already-existing foliage and produce new leaves.
Another essential primary ingredient, phosphorus, is used by plants to create new roots, seeds, fruit, and flowers.
Hydrangeas may miss flowering and instead produce more foliage and larger leaves if given a diet higher in nitrogen than potassium.
Test your soil if you’re not sure whether nitrogen is the problem.
A soil test will definitely reveal whether nitrogen is to blame for your blossom troubles, but I believe everyone should perform this once a year regardless of whether they are experiencing issues.
The solution is to use a slow-release fertilizer with a higher amount of phosphorus than nitrogen.
Look for a product that is labeled for use to encourage flowering, like Miracle-Gro Water Soluble Bloom Booster Flower Food,
3. Harsh Winters
A hard winter may prevent flowers from blooming on bigleaf varieties that only bloom on old wood the following year.
With a few exceptions, this plant is typically hardy to Zone 6. You may wish to offer some protection if the winter is very harsh.
This is due to the fact that flower buds begin to develop on old wood in the autumn, but if winters are extremely cold, they may not survive. Low temperatures can be problematic.
Although oakleaf hydrangeas also produce blossoms on old wood, they are more resistant to cold temperatures and typically don’t experience this problem.
Plants should be wrapped in hessian in numerous layers and tied off with twine to keep them safe over the winter. You can keep them covered throughout the entire winter or only during cold spells to keep them safe.
Remove the burlap once low air temperatures are consistently 15°F or higher.
4. Not Enough Water
All varieties of hydrangeas like regular soil moisture and a good deal of moisture. Your plants might not bloom if yours constantly dries out.
In a hot and dry area, bigleaf species plants could require watering every other day.
If you aren’t getting enough rain to meet the two inches of water per week that these plants require, you’ll need to supply additional irrigation.
You can use a rain gauge to determine how much moisture Mother Nature is providing your plants with so that you can provide the extra.
Though less erratic, other species should still be monitored to make sure they have access to enough water.
The leaves will begin to droop and wilt if they aren’t getting enough water, especially during the hottest part of the day.
5. Pruning Problems
One of the most frequent causes of a lack of flowers is pruning. You run the risk of chopping off the growth on the old wood that would have blossomed if you prune at any point between autumn and late spring.
So, just when should you prune to prevent this issue? Do it in the summer, just before autumn arrives but after the blooms have faded. If you want a showy display in the spring, you only have a brief window to prune your plant.
One exception to this rule is that dead branches should be removed in the spring and brought back to the area of active growth. Dead wood won’t have any discernible new growth, is dry, and snaps when bent.
After they have faded, you can either leave blossoms on the plant or deadhead them. Cut the flower heads off above the first set of leaves if you choose to deadhead.
Avoid pruning your bigleaf or oakleaf plants at all if this seems too frightening.
Additionally, bear in mind that you might not be the only one who prunes at the incorrect time. Deer might nibble on that new growth, as I described above, effectively trimming it for you.
Additionally, there are cultivars like those in the Let’s Dance®, Endless Summer®, and Seaside Serenade® series that bloom on both new and old wood. If you plant these, you won’t need to be concerned about this issue.
6. Too Much Shade
Partial shade is ideal for hydrangea growth, but too much shade prevents them from blooming.
Even though they often grow wild in the understory of woods, these plants nonetheless get some dappled sunlight in their natural environment. You won’t see blossoms if yours is placed in a location where it doesn’t get enough sun.
When a gardener places their hydrangea behind some immature trees, this is a common problem. More and more sunlight is being obstructed from reaching the ground as those trees swell and expand.
Due to how gradually this issue arises, it is simple to overlook it. Then, when your plant doesn’t produce those gorgeous flowers one year, you realise all of a sudden that its location has grown more shady over time.
It’s possible for several circumstances to result in less light reaching your plants than just that one. Perhaps your April was particularly cloudy.
Check the quantity of light exposure if your hydrangea was flowering nicely the years before but stopped this year. Even a metre can be used to assist you create a precise picture.
Arbico Organics’ Active Air 3-Way Metre detects moisture, light, and soil pH so you can monitor the condition of your planting space.
If you recently planted your hydrangea, make sure it gets about three hours of sun each day, preferably in the morning with protection from the afternoon sun.
Particularly panicle varieties require a good deal of sunlight to blossom. In various areas, they can even withstand direct sunlight. under some areas, oakleaves may thrive under more intense shadow.
7. Too Much Sun
On the other hand, too much sun can also be a problem. A plant that is hit with more sun than it likes becomes stressed, and a stressed plant may decide to skip blooming to conserve energy.
H. macrophylla need some shade to survive, especially in hotter climates like Zones 8 and 9. H. paniculata can tolerate full sun. They may be in direct sunlight in zones 5-7, which are cooler climates.
You can use a metre to measure how much light your plants receive, just like with excessive shadow. Additionally, observe them throughout
If you see leaf scorching, this is a sure sign that your plant isn’t in the right spot. Look for yellowing and browning on the edges and tips of the leaves.
Bring Back Those Beautiful Blossoms
Don’t panic if you recently planted a new plant and it doesn’t blossom for the first year or two.
Before attempting to reproduce, or in other words, create flowers, young plants often concentrate their efforts on establishing roots and growing healthy foliage.
Give your plants some time if that’s the case, and make sure you’re giving them the food and water they require to support their efforts. However, if a hydrangea that has been flowering for a while suddenly stops, this list should be able to help.
In order to assist other readers in resolving their blossoming problems, please share your problems and let us know which solution helped your hydrangea bloom once more in the comments section below.
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7 REASONS WHY YOUR HYDRANGEA MAY NOT BLOOM
7 REASONS WHY YOUR HYDRANGEA MAY NOT BLOOM
7 REASONS WHY YOUR HYDRANGEA MAY NOT BLOOM
7 REASONS WHY YOUR HYDRANGEA MAY NOT BLOOM
7 REASONS WHY YOUR HYDRANGEA MAY NOT BLOOM
7 REASONS WHY YOUR HYDRANGEA MAY NOT BLOOM
7 REASONS WHY YOUR HYDRANGEA MAY NOT BLOOM
7 REASONS WHY YOUR HYDRANGEA MAY NOT BLOOM
7 REASONS WHY YOUR HYDRANGEA MAY NOT BLOOM
7 REASONS WHY YOUR HYDRANGEA MAY NOT BLOOM
7 REASONS WHY YOUR HYDRANGEA MAY NOT BLOOM
7 REASONS WHY YOUR HYDRANGEA MAY NOT BLOOM
7 REASONS WHY YOUR HYDRANGEA MAY NOT BLOOM
7 REASONS WHY YOUR HYDRANGEA MAY NOT BLOOM
7 REASONS WHY YOUR HYDRANGEA MAY NOT BLOOM
7 REASONS WHY YOUR HYDRANGEA MAY NOT BLOOM
7 REASONS WHY YOUR HYDRANGEA MAY NOT BLOOM
7 REASONS WHY YOUR HYDRANGEA MAY NOT BLOOM
7 REASONS WHY YOUR HYDRANGEA MAY NOT BLOOM
7 REASONS WHY YOUR HYDRANGEA MAY NOT BLOOM
