The Hydrangea is one of the robust garden plants that requires little care and yet blooms profusely and thrives. If the hydrangea does not grow or hardly produces any flowers, care errors are usually the cause. We'll explain what you need to pay attention to.
Why is my hydrangea not growing or barely producing flowers?
If a hydrangea doesn't grow or hardly blooms, the causes can be incorrect substrate, insufficient fertilization, over-cultivation, late planting or a lack of winter protection. A suitable rhododendron soil and special hydrangea fertilizer support he althy growth and abundant flowering.
The right substrate
The hydrangea does not thrive particularly well in normal garden soil. Place the flowering plant in rhododendron soil, which has the optimal structure for the hydrangea. This soil retains moisture well, but is not prone to waterlogging due to compaction.
Fertilize moderately but regularly
Hydrangea is one of the plants that have very specific requirements when it comes to nutrient supply. In order to bloom profusely, the hydrangea needs a lot of nitrogen and potassium. The fertilizer should also contain sufficient minerals such as iron, sulfur, manganese and zinc. At the same time, the phosphorus content of the fertilizer must not be too high.
That's why many common plant fertilizers are completely unsuitable. Preferably use hydrangea fertilizer, which you can get from well-stocked garden shops. Alternatively, you can fertilize the hydrangea with azalea or rhododendron fertilizer.
Overgrown Perennials
Hydreneas often come onto the market with an abundance of flowers. Once the flower umbels have bloomed, the hydrangea sometimes does not produce any new flowers and hardly grows in the first year. If you fertilize the hydrangea regularly as indicated on the fertilizer packaging, it will have gained enough strength and sprout vigorously by the second year at the latest.
Lack of winter protection
Although the hydrangea is relatively winter-hardy, the plant is damaged in very cold and harsh winters. In a year with low temperatures below zero, the leaves often form much later and the flower heads that formed the previous year could be frozen.
So make sure you have adequate winter protection in the fall:
- Overwinter potted plants in a cool and protected place.
- Pile up plants in the bed and protect them with a layer of mulch.
- Cover hydrangea in rough areas with plant fleece.
Tips & Tricks
Hydrangeas that don't grow well were often planted too late in the year {. The hydrangea should have spent some time in the ground before the first frosts so that it has developed enough roots and is well established.
