Hydrangea Not Flowering Due to Over‑Pruning by New Gardener

Case of the Missing Blooms

A neighbor’s 15‑ and 20‑year‑old hydrangeas stopped flowering 5 years ago when a new gardener started pruning them by half. The garden is south‑facing, well‑kept, with mild winters except a freak snowfall.

Diagnosis

Excessive pruning is the clear cause. Hydrangeas that bloom on old wood (most macrophylla types) set flower buds in late summer/fall. Cutting them back by half removes those buds.

Correct Pruning Practice

• Prune only after flowering, and only to tidy the shrub.
• If size reduction is desired, do it gradually over several years, accepting a year without blooms.
• After a hard renovation prune, the plant should resume blooming the following year.

Location Note

The responder asks if the garden is in Canada or UK, but the advice applies universally for old‑wood bloomers.