bolting plants

Question

I have a small area that contains a hydrangea, azalea and forsythia. This summer all “bolted” and have long leggy tops. What causes this?

Answer 1

This is normally caused by a lack of light. Has a new structure gone into the area that may be blocking light? It may also be that trees in the area have grown or have developed thicker canopies that are blocking light. You may need to thin the canopies of surrounding trees a bit to allow more light in.

Examine the area and think about how you can get a bit more light in. These plants can take shade, but cannot take deep shade. So, only a little work would need to be done to help reduce the deepness of the shade in the area to make it acceptable to these plants.