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Hydrangea not flowering ?

daniel.seymourdaniel.seymour Posts: 2
in Problem solving
Hi all,

I am a fairly novice gardener and need some help with a potted Hydrangea that flowered for the first couple of years but has not flowered for the last 2/3 years. I have attached a photo, the hydrangea appears to be nice and healthy but just will not flower ? I believe it's to do with the timing of the pruning and how much to prune?

Posts

  • FairygirlFairygirl Posts: 55,117
    Yes - it looks well, but often people are pruning off the stems which carry the flowers.  :)
    However, you may need to look at how big a container you have it in, and what the soil is like etc. In a small space, plants can be forced into flowering, but ultimately, they need room to mature and grow, and hydangeas mainly become very large shrubs, so it's probably trying to increase it's roots, at the expense of flowers. It will probably have used up all the nutrients available to it as well. 
    They don't usually do very well in containers long term, unless the container is huge. 
    It's a place where beautiful isn't enough of a word....



    I live in west central Scotland - not where that photo is...
  • DovefromaboveDovefromabove Posts: 88,147
    I’d put it in a bigger pot ... feed it with some rose fertiliser and do not prune anything ... it’ll bloom next year 😊 

    Leave the dried flower heads on (they turn amazing colours in the late summer/autumn) and in the winter will protect the new buds forming behind them. The following spring remove the dead flower heads, snipping just above a pair of strong buds. Feed again and keep well watered. 

    Hope that helps 😊 

    Gardening in Central Norfolk on improved gritty moraine over chalk ... free-draining.





  • daniel.seymourdaniel.seymour Posts: 2
    Thankyou Fairygirl and Dovefromabove,

    I have an area where I can plant directly into a border \ ground, do you think this will help ?
  • FairygirlFairygirl Posts: 55,117
    They are nearly always better in the ground, assuming your soil is decent and not too free draining  :)
    Give it enough room to fill out too  :)
    It's a place where beautiful isn't enough of a word....



    I live in west central Scotland - not where that photo is...
  • DovefromaboveDovefromabove Posts: 88,147
    daniel.seymour said:
    Thankyou Fairygirl and Dovefromabove,

    I have an area where I can plant directly into a border \ ground, do you think this will help ?
    Definitely 👍 

    Gardening in Central Norfolk on improved gritty moraine over chalk ... free-draining.





  • LynLyn Posts: 23,190
    They are large shrubs, not suitable as pot plants, when you plant it out, make sure you allow a 6’ space all around it in all directions, it will fill that in a year or two. 
    I've never fed one, if you feed now you may get growth that will be soft, I wouldn’t feed it. Putting out will suffice. 
    Gardening on the wild, windy west side of Dartmoor. 

  • DovefromaboveDovefromabove Posts: 88,147
    I agree @Lyn they don’t need feeding if they’re in decent open ground ... but they do if they’re in a container. 😊 

    Gardening in Central Norfolk on improved gritty moraine over chalk ... free-draining.





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