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The Gardening Tip That May Help Your Hydrangeas Bloom
By KATHY BATES
Hydrangeas, with their beautiful ball-shaped blooms, make a statement in any garden, but if yours aren’t blooming much or at all, the cause may simply be overcrowding.
Overcrowding refers to when your plants grow too close together. This can cause them to compete for water and nutrients with nearby flowers, which can stop them from blooming.
Hydrangeas are large shrubs growing between 4 and 12 feet tall and wide. Knowing the variety tells you how much spacing a young plant needs given how wide it will become.
Overcrowding can also encourage fungal diseases to spread. Air can’t circulate through the plants, keeping leaves and blooms wet and vulnerable to powdery mildew and leaf spot.
If your plants are overcrowded, you need to transplant them farther apart. Do so when the plant is dormant, either in late fall after it has lost its leaves or in early spring.