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Hydrangeas are a favourite amongst flower lovers. With huge heads of purple, pink and white, it’s no wonder many gardeners try and hold onto those blooms for as long as possible.
If your hydrangea plant isn’t producing many flowers, or devastatingly, none at all, it’s time to do a little sleuthing to work out the problem.
First off, you need to determine your hydrangea variety. This is because each type of hydrangea responds a little differently to garden maintenance, so your approach to getting more hydrangea flowers will vary.
Follow these general tips, then take a look at panicle, bigleaf and smooth-leaf varieties to see what changes you need to make for long-lasting blooms.
Tips for getting more hydrangea blooms
- Don’t overdo the fertiliser: If you apply too much fertiliser, you may get more leaves than blooms. Adding in too much nitrogen also produces longer stems that might not set flower buds.
- Let the plant go dormant: Dormancy allows for your hydrangea to conserve its energy for what you actually want: lots of flowers!
- Keep the soil moist: Hydrangeas love water, so make sure they’re well watered throughout the day. Limp leaves and drooping indicate dehydration.
For big blooms on your panicle, smooth-leaf and bigleaf hydrangeas, follow the guide below:
Panicle Hydrangea
Panicle hydrangeas have large cone-shaped flower clusters. They need lots of sunlight for the best flowering. Common varieties include ‘Grandiflora’, Limelight, and Vanilla Strawberry.
How to get more panicle hydrangea flowers:
- Plant in full sun or afternoon sun.
- Water panicles during times of drought.
- Amend the soil liberally with organic matter (such as compost)
- Limit hard pruning to early spring, just before new growth emerges
- Deadhead blooms as they fade and die
Smooth-Leaf Hydrangea
Smooth hydrangeas, named for their large, smooth leaves. There are many types of smooth hydrangeas available today, including two varieties that bloom pink instead of the typical white. You can cut smoothleaf hydrangeas to the ground each spring, and they will still produce flowers.
Common varieties include ‘Annabelle’, Endless Summer Bella Anna, and Invincibelle Spirit.
How to get more smooth-leaf hydrangea flowers:
- Plant smooth-leaf hydrangeas in full sun if the soil stays moist
- For spots that dry out, plant in partial shade
- Water them during times of drought.
- Amend the soil with compost and organic matter
- Prune stems back in early spring, just before new growth emerges
Bigleaf Hydrangea
The bigleaf group (Hydrangea macrophylla) and its cousins, the oakleaf (H. quercifolia), climbing (H. anomala), and serrate (H. serrata) hydrangeas, can present the biggest challenge when it comes to getting more flowers. These hydrangeas all primarily bloom on the previous year’s stems or ‘last year’s wood’. If you prune the stems one year, you are likely cutting off the next year’s flowers.
Common varieties with variegated foliage include Guilded Gold, ‘Lemon Wave’, and Light-O-Day.
How to get more bigleaf hydrangea flowers:
- Plnat in half-day sun or full sun if in a cooler climate
- Water well in spring and summer
- Add in lots of organic matter to soil
- Don’t prune unless necessary (except to cut out dead/diseased branches)
- Give the stems extra winter protection in winter by wrapping them in burlap
- Don’t crowd plants together, give them plenty of space
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