How To Get Hydrangea To Bloom

Question

I have not trimmed my hydrangea for a few years. your article explains how to determine which kind of plant. I think mine grow from old wood. 2 pics are from this march 20th. other is july 2020 and oct 2020. as you can see, there are lots of leaves.

Answer 1

In a cold zone like yours, a hydrangea that blooms on old wood can fail to bloom if winter injuries kill the stems; in spring, the stems do not leaf out and all new growth consists of new stems that originate from the crown or base. Here in Texas with milder winters, a variation of that occurs: cold in late frost kills the flower buds inside the ends of the stems but the stem is not killed or is not completely killed. Winter protection of the stems ends is then required to protect the stem ends from cold and late frosts. A remontant macrophylla cultivar may be more bloom reliable although a different type of hydrangea may be both more winter hardy and more bloom reliable: hydrangea paniculatas and-or Annabelle-like hydrangeas as both of those usually bloom on new wood, which is normally not affected by winter cold.