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How to Get Your Hydrangeas Blooming: Top Tips for a Thriving Garden

By Madison Johnson Mon, Jul 29, 2024

PHOTO: Yueke

Hydrangeas are the ideal shrub for many gardens, with their long-lasting blooms, easy-care reputation, and ability to thrive in various light conditions. However, they are not entirely foolproof, and many gardeners are disappointed when their hydrangeas fail to bloom.


Nothing can be more frustrating than investing in a blooming plant only to watch it refuse to bloom year after year. There is always a specific reason why this happens, and you often have to be your own detective in the garden to figure it out.


Fortunately, we've rounded up some of the most common culprits that cause hydrangeas to stop blooming. See if any of these issues could be at play and learn the best solutions to help you get your hydrangea back to blooming.


Time Your Hydrangea Pruning Right

This is one of the most common reasons why hydrangeas don't bloom. Many hydrangeas bloom on old wood, so cutting them back too late in the season removes the buds that would become flowers. If this happened to you, you'll need to wait until next year to properly prune to minimize the damage to your hydrangea blooms. Adjust your timing to ensure you only prune immediately after flowering, giving the plant time to set new buds. For mop-head hydrangea varieties, spring is the time to prune, while lacecap hydrangea should be pruned at the end of summer when the blooms are starting to fade.


Check Your Soil

Hydrangeas don't tend to be especially fussy about the soil they're planted in, but if your hydrangea is not blooming, it may be worth testing your soil and making some amendments. Soil conditions play a critical role; overly acidic or alkaline soils can impede nutrient uptake, while poor soil drainage can stress the plant. If your soil falls outside the ideal pH range of 5.5 to 6.5, consider amending it with lime or sulfur to bring it into range to encourage blooms. If the soil around your hydrangea tends to be a bit swampy, adding compost or other organic matter to improve drainage will also help your hydrangea bloom.


Consider the Light Conditions

Hydrangeas thrive in partial sun—and in some areas that fall outside that range. But if your hydrangea isn't blooming, it could be due to a lack of light. If your hydrangea is planted in deep shade, it might not receive enough sunlight to produce blooms. If another plant is blocking your hydrangea's light, you could prune that back to give your hydrangea a bit more sun or relocate your hydrangea to a better spot in your garden where it receives morning sun and afternoon shade, which is ideal for many varieties.


Protect Your Hydrangea From a Deep Freeze

Hydrangea plants tend to do well in zones 3 to 9, but in northern climates where bitter cold can occur over the winter, it may be worth giving your hydrangea some protection. Extreme cold can damage the buds, especially if a late frost hits after the plant has started to set them. Wrapping your plant in burlap or frost covers can help it stay safe over the winter.


Be Patient With Your Hydrangea

Even if you give your hydrangea plant everything it needs, it may take a few years after planting before it really takes off and starts to bloom. A plant that has been dealing with poor soil or light conditions will need some recovery time after you've addressed the situation. Making the appropriate changes now will pay off in a gorgeous, full-bloom hydrangea bush next year—and for years to come. After all, many hydrangea bushes can give you beautiful blooms for decades!


NEXT: How to Organize Your Dresser Drawers: 6 Tips for Lasting Tidiness
While your closet might be perfectly organized with matching hangers and each item sorted by color or season, one of the biggest challenges is behind closed drawers. Dressers can be tricky to organize. The main reason for this is that most of us are always on the go, which can lead to rushing when putting clothes back in our drawers or quickly folding laundry and placing clothes wherever they fit. So, what's the solution? It’s about creating a system that works for you and is easy to maintain. Once your system is in place and zones are created, commit to maintaining them. Each time you put away your laundry, do a quick tidy-up if needed. Organized drawers bring a sense of peace and calm and make getting dressed so easy that you'll never want your drawers to look messy again. Here’s how to organize your dresser drawers—and keep them that way—for good. Store T-Shirts the Right Way Whether you wear them with jeans or shorts, most of us stock our dressers with a fair amount of T-shirts. Organizing by color is recommended so you have what you need in front of you regardless of the occasion, weather, or time constraints. Then, "file fold" them so they are easy to see. With the file fold method, you fold your sleeves into the middle of the shirt, creating a long rectangle. Fold the shirt in half or thirds, depending on the height of your drawer, and line them up like files in a filing cabinet for easy visibility. Separate Your Socks It’s best to group socks by type, keeping dress socks away from athletic socks. If these are all in the same drawer, it's helpful to have a drawer divider to keep them separated. If you want to go the extra mile, you could fold these neatly into rows so you see each sock when you open up, but keep in mind that will take more time to maintain. How to Store Underwear Underwear can be challenging to store, but that doesn’t mean it is impossible. Keep it simple by separating underwear by type. Some people fold their underwear, but separating them by type is functional enough and doesn't require a lot of time to upkeep. How to Store Activewear Activewear is one of the most frustrating things to fold. It’s not recommended to file fold activewear as most tops and bottoms are so flimsy due to the performance fabric material that it simply doesn't work well or hold shape in the drawer. Instead, roll these items and line them up in your drawer in rows, similar to how you would set up file-folded T-shirts. Use drawer dividers to categorize items like tennis outfits, running shorts, and workout tanks. For example, if you have multiple pairs of black leggings, categorize them by use, such as yoga, lounging, weight training, or running. Edit Quarterly If your drawers always feel stuffed, it’s a smart idea to edit your wardrobe once a season. If you feel like your drawers are getting too difficult to maintain, it might be that you are trying to fit too many clothes in your drawers. That's when you know it's time to edit. Once a quarter, go through your clothes to see if there's anything you'd like to donate to a local charity. If You Only Do One Thing If you are too busy to do a major dresser reorganization project right now, adding some drawer dividers can make a big difference. One of the best organizational products you can purchase to maintain an organized home is drawer dividers. They really do make a huge difference, and if you want to take it to the next level, add subtle labels on the inside lip of your drawer so you know exactly what each section is.

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