Question
I have had 3 purple/blue lacecaps for 5 seasons.  Last year was the first year
that they bloomed and they where  abundant.  This year I have one blossom
on one plant.  My gardeners cut back in the fall and I do remember seeing
buds on the old sticks this past spring.  I have a beautiful hydrangea tree that
blooms beautifully every year, I dont do anything to it.  They are are
northwest exposure and have sun all day, they are watered 2x a day when the
sprinkler comes on.  Sometimes they wilt during the day when it is really hot.
I am in Southeast MA.  The bush itself is huge and the leaves are beautiful
and grow great every year. Could it be that they are late bloomers. It really
bums me out, I have a beautiful perennial garden all around my house and
those are just green bushes, oh and we have had very mild winters too.  What
is going on????  Thank you  Marie

Answer
This is the easiest question I have answered all Summer.

STOP pruning your Hydrangeas.

Hydrangeas bloom on old wood.  Every time you cut them back, you are cutting off next year's blooming wood.

It's different with other shrubs and plants.  But Hydrangea is special.

Keep the pruning shears away from the bushes.  Put up a big sign: KEEP OUT.  No trespassing!  And DON'T prune again until AFTER you see some blooms.  Even then, I think you should stay away from them.  The ONLY thing you need to do is cut off the spent flowers.  But we are right now years away from that problem.  And it's easy.

In other times, I would recommend that you try fertilizing with high Phosphate (N-P-K -- the "P" is Phosphate) fertilizer.  But I don't tell that to people any more.  The high Phosphates do not help a plant that is genetically programmed to bloom a certain way unless you have o.d.'d on the N and the K fertilizers.  And you haven't done that.

Don't use Miracle-Gro.  It might give you better leaves, but I think you have seen enough leaves at this point.

Watering carefully with slightly acid water (put in a half teaspoon of vinegar from the kitchen in a half gallon of water) will give you nice Big Blue Flowers.  Passersby will say, 'Oooooooooo, did you see the Warner house?' next year.

Remember, do not go anywhere near the Hydrangeas with those pruning shears.

Use the liquid acid formula every time you water.  It takes time to change a pH.  We don't know what color they were when they bloomed.  It's always good to lower the pH for those famous blue petals.

If someone else tries to prune this shrub, be very bbossy.  Watch them as they work.  Act like you know what they are doing.  They will do a better job.  Trust me, I have been there done that.  Be a generous tipper.  They'll be back.

And your Hydrangeas will bloom again.  Better than ever.  I GUARANTEE it.

THE LONG ISLAND GARDENER