Why isn’t my hydrangea blooming?

Question:

I have a 3-year-old Fireworks hydrangea that bloomed last year but this year I see no hint of it blooming. I didn’t trim it back at all over the winter, and I’ve used miracle-gro recently. It’s growing larger than last year, just no blooms. Shouldn’t it have bloomed by now? Thanks - Robert

Answer:

Fireworks Hydrangea is a macrophylla type which means its flower buds are not always winter hardy in our climate. We experienced an early cold snap in November. As a result the flower buds for this plant were damaged. Fireworks sets its buds on last year’s growth for the spring show. The winter damaged these blooms so no early summer flowers. This variety may also bloom on current season growth so a few flowers could appear later this fall. You are not alone most of the macrophylla hydrangeas failed to bloom this spring or summer. Dennis

This story was originally published August 3, 2015 at 11:55 AM with the headline "Why isn’t my hydrangea blooming?."