Hydrangea

Welcome Spring! I can't get outside to do my usual spring gardening. Luckily I started learning more about svg cut files. Working on a T-shirt for my daughter.: www.svgdesigns.com/product/hos01-pghs1503062c

Autumn would be the best time to do this. I have moved quite large hydrangeas successfully in the past so it is possible.

simonjarvis.co.uk/2020/03/15/hydrangea/

Don't prune hydrangeas unless they have grown spindly. Then just take out one branch low down. It is dead easy to propagate. I cut a piece of stem about 8 inches long, rmove the bottom leaves and then stick it in an ols wine bottle,the narrow neck stops it flopping about. Keep it on te kitchen wuindow sil and top up with tap water until white roots appear. Then pot up in a fine compost mixture. I don't prne - just dead head the flowers after the winter as the old heads protect the new flower buds for next year.

Only one out of 4 of mine flowered this year, usually they all flower their heads off, I have never fed hydrangeas & have grown them in various gardens for over 50 years, had various types of soil doesn't seem to matter what soil they are in, never had such a poor reuslt as this year, could it be because of all the wet last year?

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Anniebach You're welcome

Yes, I thought so - and that's why people are so disappointed/mystified when the lovely blue hydrangea they bought and planted turns pink the next year!

That's right, Ana. That's why if the soil is neutral/slightly acid you get a kind of two tone purple effect.

Thank you for the advice Lona, I have passed it on to my daughter

No, you said only feed Miracid if it's a blue variety. I didn't know there were any blue varieties, just pink ones that would come out blue in acid soil, Minty. (still)

Ana, Yes you are right, as I said in my post.

If in doubt about whether a hydrangea will survive a move, take cuttings just in case.

all you need to know about hydrangeas
I think I have been a bit overenthusiastic with my pruning

I thought the colour of hydrangea flowers depended on the acid level of the soil - i.e. if you want blue flowers, feed it with something like Miracid if your soil isn't acidic enough, otherwise you'll only get pink flowers.

Is this wrong?

When should I prune them?

My two hydrangeas that always flower haven't this year - not a thing. The one that is normally useless is flowering. I think they just do it to be awkward.

Thanks everyone for the sympathy and advice
or should that be !

Only feed with acid feed it is a blue variety.
They like to be in moist, cool well drained soil, in semi-shade.
If they don't flower it can be caused by frost damage early in the year, over-pruning, pruning at the wrong time of the year, or over feeding with fertiliser that is too high in nitrogen.

I've got one like yours, jane. It was a pot plant and I planted it out, then made a huge mistake and pruned it. It's looking healthy now with plenty of foliage but appears to have forgotten it's supposed to have flowers.

Can't help you janeainsworth, but I sympathise. Mine did not flower this year, it did last year but not the year before. It is a huge green blob in a pot in our little London patio garden. I think it is in too cramped a space and maybe at the end of it 's life, it is the same age as yours .

I'm glad you've brought up the subject of hygrangeas anniebach.
In response to your question, I think it depends on how big the hydrangea is, whether it will survive being potted and transplanted.

However my question is, why won't my hydrangea flower? It's in reasonably well-drained soil, gets sun for part of the day and I feed it with Miracid for acid-loving plants.... but not seen a flopwer ever. I think it was one that was given to me as a pot plant, and was probably forced, but it's been in the garden for at least 8 years and has never flowered

If it was mine, I think I'd dig it up now, pot into a large pot and keep it in a sheltered spot until next spring.