On 7/7/04 9:46, in article
, "Victoria Clare"
wrote:

Sacha wrote in
k:

When shaping a Hydrangea as you want it to be, do it
over a couple of years, successively, taking out a stem here and there
each year so you still get flowers. Trim it all back and you'll get
no flowers at all.


Mine flowers whatever you do to it, including pruning back to ground level
(yes, I have tried!).

(But it's a very well-established one, and a tough as nails mophead - I'm
sure you are right that the pruning of the young plants is causing Colin's
problems)

I've had the same experience as you with old and established plants BUT I
wonder also if situation has something to do with it. When I lived in
Jersey, I just hacked my Hydrangeas about without much thought and they
seemed always to forgive me! Here, I've made the mistake of doing the same
thing once or twice only to end up with no flowers for one season. That
said, a good haircut from time to time is probably a rejuvenator for old
plants, anyway.

--

Sacha
(remove the weeds after garden to email me)