Hydrangeas are one of the most popular flowering shrubs, but sometimes they can be reluctant to flower. However, with a little TLC, you can encourage your hydrangea to bloom more profusely.
How To Increase Hydrangea Blooms
Here is the complete process explained in detail on how to increase hydrangea blooms:
1. Remove the faded blooms.
Deadheading, or removing faded blooms, keeps your hydrangea from wasting energy producing seeds and allows it to focus on producing new flowers. Use sharp pruning shears to cut off the dead flower heads at their base. If you leave them on the plant, they will attract insects and diseases that can harm your hydrangea.
If you have a lot of plants in one area (such as a hedge), you may want to consider using a string trimmer with a blade attachment instead of pruning shears. This will save you time because you’ll be able to trim more than one plant at a time. However, if you use this method, be sure to wear protective gear such as goggles and long sleeves so that your arms and face aren’t exposed to flying debris.
Step 2:
2. Remove any branches that cross each other or are growing toward the center of the plant.
Step 3:
3. Cut back any branches that are growing too low to the ground for good air circulation around the plant’s base where it meets the soil.
Flowering Shrubs
Plants in this category include azaleas, rhododendrons, camellias and others that bloom only once during their life cycle before dying off (although some varieties can be forced into reblooming by cutting them back after they’ve finished flowering).
After flowering is complete, these shrubs should be pruned in late summer or early fall before new growth begins for next year’s flowers. Prune out about one-third of all stems at ground level; then remove any remaining deadwood as well as suckers that sprout up from below ground level along the main stem(s).
If your shrub has multiple stems coming up from its root system, thin these out so there are no more than three stems per foot of length along its entire length (removing shading or crossing branches). This will help keep air circulating around all parts of its root system where pests like fungus gnats can hide and attack it during wet weather when they’re most active and cause damage that could lead to disease problems later on (see page 29).
Be sure not to prune too hard; otherwise you’ll reduce next year’s flower production significantly!
Deciduous Trees & Shrubs
These plants produce leaves every spring but lose their leaves each fall in preparation for winter dormancy (they do not die back completely like evergreens do). They also produce flowers in spring or summer but generally don’t bloom again unless cut back after flowering is complete (some exceptions exist—see pages 27–28 for details).
These trees should be pruned in late summer or early fall before new growth begins for next year’s leaves (or flowers) depending on what you want them to look like next spring: if you want them full-sized with lots of greenery next spring, wait until after they’ve lost their leaves; if you want them smaller so they take up less space or have fewer leafy limbs hanging down over walkways/patios/decks etc., prune them now while they still have their leaves on!
In either case follow these steps:
1) Trim off broken/dead branches;
2) Thin out dense areas by cutting out some smaller limbs;
3) Cut back long limbs so they’re shorter than those around them;
4) Cut out weak/diseased branches;
5) Prune away any suckers growing from below ground level along main stem(s);
6) Remove any crossing branches from aboveground portions of main stem(s);
7) Smooth cuts made with hand saw by scoring cut surface lightly with sharp knife edge and then pulling apart gently with hands until smooth surface forms—this helps prevent wood rot fungi from attacking freshly exposed wood fibers beneath bark layer!
To avoid damaging tree trunk when sawing through large limb sections use “chop” method described below: When making initial cuts use handsaw starting 1 inch above trunk edge parallel to trunk—do not saw back & forth!
Then use handsaw again starting 1 inch below same trunk edge parallel to trunk—do not saw back & forth! Continue alternating between these two positions until limb section falls free—repeat process as necessary until entire limb is removed!
Do not saw directly against tree trunk when removing large sections because this could lead to scarring/damaging tree trunk which could result in decay problems later on due to moisture getting inside tree bark layer through damaged areas!!
Also note: if branch being removed is close enough to trunk such that it could cause damage if left attached just remove part closest trunk leaving remainder attached—this will help prevent damage caused by heavy branch falling onto tree trunk during stormy weather!!! See photos on pages 24–25 for examples showing how this technique works! Note: If possible always try removing pieces of
Tips for How To Increase Hydrangea Blooms
Here are 5 things to take care of with respect to how to increase hydrangea blooms:
1. When you are planting your hydrangea, make sure to plant it where it will receive full sun. This is the best way to ensure that you get maximum blooms.
2. It is important to water your hydrangea regularly with a slow-drip irrigation system. This will help keep the soil moist but not soggy and will prevent fungal diseases from developing in your soil.
3. Make sure to mulch around the base of your hydrangea shrub to help retain moisture in the soil and reduce weed growth in the area around your shrub.
4. If you have a lot of leaves that drop each year, consider removing them during the autumn so that they don’t add unnecessary weight to your shrub and make it harder for it to grow new flowers each spring!
5. You can also prune the stems back by one third or one half their length in late winter or early spring if they become leggy or crowded. This will encourage more branching and better bloom production!
FAQs
Interesting Facts About Hydrangea
Here are 5 things you should know about hydrangea:
1. Hydrangea is a genus of about 30 species of flowering plants in the family Hydrangeaceae, native to eastern and southern Asia, southeastern Europe and parts of Africa and South America. They are widely cultivated for their large flower heads (which are usually blue) that last a long time when cut.
2. The genus name is derived from the Greek words “hydor” meaning water and “angos” meaning vessel or tube. This refers to the hollow stem structure found in most species.
3. The flowers are produced on short stems above the foliage in early summer and last until late autumn when they can form attractive seedheads if left on the plant. They are often used as hedging plants due to their small leaves and dense habit which also makes them popular with butterfly enthusiasts because of their abundance of nectar-rich flowers which attract many species throughout the growing season.
4. In China, hydrangeas were used medicinally by ancient herbalists who believed that they had powerful cooling properties, especially for fevers associated with malaria, dysentery and typhoid fever; they were also used to treat rheumatism, measles and chickenpox. In addition to being applied externally as an ointment or poultice, hydrangeas were also boiled down into a tea, or mixed with honey to be taken internally for these purposes.
5. Hydrangeas are considered poisonous if ingested in large amounts due to their high levels of cyanogenic glycosides but there have been no reports of serious poisoning from them as they contain only low levels of these compounds relative to other members of the same family such as cherries (Prunus spp.) which contain higher concentrations so it is not recommended that you eat them!
The most important thing to know about hydrangeas is that they are heavy feeders. You should feed them a high-nitrogen fertilizer, such as Miracle Gro or Schultz’s. You can also use fish emulsion or compost tea, which will add beneficial microbes and other microorganisms to the soil.
Can you get rid of aphids on hydrangeas?
Aphids attack new growth, so prune out all the new shoots if you see aphids on your hydrangea plants. Spray with insecticidal soap and water to get rid of aphids. Or just wait for a cold snap in fall; it will kill off the aphids.
The most common reason for a hydrangea not blooming is the lack of bloom. It’s possible that your hydrangea was not purchased from a reputable grower, or it may be that you are overwatering. Another possibility is that the plant has been fertilized with too much nitrogen which causes excessive vegetative growth and not enough flower development.
I have a large Hydrangea in my garden, but it doesn’t bloom. What can I do to get it to bloom?
There are several reasons why your hydrangea may not be blooming. The most common reason is overwatering. If you have an older plant and you’ve never pruned it, we recommend removing at least half of the plant. This will allow more light into the center of the plant and encourage new growth and flowering. Another possibility is that your hydrangea was not purchased from a reputable grower, or it may be that you are overwatering. Another possibility is that the plant has been fertilized with too much nitrogen which causes excessive vegetative growth and not enough flower development.
The most common problem with hydrangeas is that they do not bloom. There are a number of reasons for this, but the most common is that the plant is not getting enough light. Hydrangeas need six hours of direct sunlight each day to bloom well. If your hydrangea is in a shady spot, move it to a sunnier area or grow it as an annual and replace it every year.
Another reason for poor flowering is improper soil pH. Hydrangeas like soil with a pH of between 5.5 and 6.5, which means that your soil may be too acidic or alkaline for good blooming.
To check the pH of your soil, take a sample and send it to your local Cooperative Extension Service office for testing, or purchase an inexpensive kit at your local garden center. If you find that your soil’s pH needs adjusting, add lime (for acid) or sulfur (for alkaline) to the area around the plant according to package directions until you reach the desired level of acidity or alkalinity.
Hydrangeas also require good drainage so that their roots don’t rot from standing water or saturated soils. If you have clayey soils, consider planting in raised beds filled with organic matter such as composted bark mulch or peat moss to improve drainage and aeration around the plants’ roots.
How do I prune my hydrangea?
I have a lot of hydrangea bushes that I love to cut and bring inside.
How do you keep them blooming?
The key to keeping hydrangeas blooming is to keep them cool, so they won’t bloom until the weather turns warm again. In spring, when the plants are just starting to leaf out, take cuttings from your favorite branches and root them in a potting mix with some perlite added (perlite helps provide good drainage).
Keep them in a cool place like a basement or garage for about two weeks, then transplant them into pots and place them in full sun on the south side of your house. Fertilize once a month with an all-purpose fertilizer such as Miracle-Gro® LiquaFeed® Tomato Plant Food;
this will help encourage new growth and keep the plants healthy. When it’s time for your hydrangeas to start blooming again, move the pots outside to a shady spot where they can get some warmth but not too much sun—they don’t like direct sunlight at this time of year.