hydrangea problem.

[doogied]

I have a large hydrangea which fills a corner in my garden. Two years ago I had a lot of flowers on it, last year a few and this year none at all are going to come. Should I cut it right back and let it grow again from the root, or should I be feeding it with anything special? I don't want to give up on it,

[shylock73]

Cut out old wood and feed with ericaceous feed,and never let Hydrangea`s dry out. The name `Hydra` means H20 which means water.

[doogied]

Thanks shylock73, will try giving it a water and feed. I suppose we have had quite hot weather this past week or two and I tend not to water my borders. The bush is about 5 feet tall, would you advise cutting all the shoots back a bit or just the ones with no leaves? I appreciate your help.

[Hawkwalk]

You can be quite tough with them and prune back hard. 5 feet sounds a bit tall for a Hydrangea and I am guessing you have not pruned it much. You may not need to cut it right back but you should remove the older wood, thin it out and reduce the stems back to viable shoots at a more sensible height. This is best done in early spring when you can see the new shoots appear. There is some good info with photos here:
http://www.whitewisteria.co.uk/tasks/hydrangea _care.php

[doogied]

Thanks Hawkwalk, will go and check out the website.

[numptyjames]

simple answer is yes cut the stems down to about 3 inch from the ground then cut the stems up and put them all over
top of the plant to protect it through the winter in the spring give the plant a good feed of tomi ripe or eny tomato fertilizer