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My climbing hydrangea will not flower!!

GranniegardenerGranniegardener Posts: 65
in Plants
The plant is about 5ft high and maybe 6 ft across, trained onto a west facing brick wall. It's been there for 4 years or so, growing happily but being ever so stingy with the flowers! Last year I had 6 blooms, this year I can only see 2 flower buds. I only prune stems that come directly out from the wall, and to stop it getting too high. I'm not giving it too much nitrogen feed, so what am I doing wrong? (I warned it last year if it didn't buck it's ideas up, it's curtains)

Posts

  • K67K67 Posts: 2,506
    Seems they can take 5 years or more to get going.
    Also could be dry especially as it will be in a rain shadow.
    You could give it a handful of sulphate of potash every month.
  • didywdidyw Posts: 3,573
    I have one on a north facing fence that has been there for many years.  It is not nearly as lush as yours and has never flowered.  But it stays as I can't think of any other green plant that can go in the spot that self-clings.  I'll be interested to see what others say about getting mine to flower too!
    Gardening in East Suffolk on dry sandy soil.
  • DovefromaboveDovefromabove Posts: 88,147
    It sounds to me that by pruning off the sideshoots that come out from the wall you’re pruning off the flowering branches, as it flowers on the side branches. 

    If you need to cut it back prune it immediately after flowering so it has time to produce more flowering shoots in time for them to mature enough to produce flowers the following year. 
    😊 

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





  • Mrs-B3-Southampton,-HantsMrs-B3-Southampton,-Hants Posts: 732
    We had one and I agree with Dove.
    Southampton 
  • FireFire Posts: 19,096
    Maybe lay off pruning for two years and see what happens
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