Question
My son gave me a blue hydrangea as a mothers day gift.  I planted it outside in a protected corner on the west side of the house where it gets some tree shade in the afternoon.  It has wintered two years (in Michigan) and comes up from the ground each spring with very healthy looking leaves, however doesn't bloom.  Do hydrangeas die back to the ground each year?  Why doesn't it bloom?

Answer
Hi Gail,
The blue hydrangea is hardy to zone 5 so if you are in zone 4 or colder the shrub is probably dying all the way back to the roots and the roots are surviving the winter.  Does the hydrangea get 6 or more hours of direct sunlight or is it shaded?  Is the soil moist or dry?  Soil should not be soggy and should drain well but it should not be dry either.  Hydrangeas benefit from cool, moist soil.  Soil should be slight acidic also so you might want to fertilize with Miracid which will sweeten the soil and help your plant produce a blue flower.  Is the foliage healthy and green?  If you are using a fertilizer high in Nitrogen, stop.  This will cause all green growth and few if any blooms.  Use a fertilizer like Miracid and then side dress with well-composted cow manure.  I hope this helps.
Tom