| My black-stemmed nikko blue hydrangea is very healthy but produced only six flowers. How can I increase flower production? |
| These hydrangeas may have sparse blooms for a number of reaons. One common one is improperly timed pruning. They bloom on wood from the previous year, so fall, winter or spring pruning will remove flowering wood. (The best time to prune is immediately after it blooms.) Winter damage will also destroy blooming wood for the coming year. Spring frosts may also damage flower buds early in the season. The best you can do is shelter the plant from winter wind and make sure it goes into winter well watered, this should minimize winter damage. If a freak spring freeze threatens newly emerging growth, you could try to cover the plant to protect it. You may also need to adjust your pruning schedule, if you think that may be the problem. I hope this helps you trouble shoot. |
