"flicker" wrote in message
...
If you prune the old branches, you will remove flower buds. They will
only
flower from older growth.


I tip-prune the branches every year (down to strong, fat buds) and every
year
the shrub is full of flowers. I'm just wondering if I can tip-prune
non-flowering shoots and still get flowers.

Interestingly, my neighbors who have hydrangeas and don't even touch them
never
get flowers. I don't get it.

I have hydrangeas that do well and others that barely survive. I gave a
Niko blue to my neighbors and kept several. Theirs did very well and
bloomed well, that is, until they got cabin fever this year and pruned it to
the ground in March. It came back and flourished, but not a single bloom.

If you want to prune, do it immediately after they bloom. Make sure they
get good winter protection. Avoid strong afternoon sun. Keep evenly moist
and avoid heavy high nitrogen fertilizers. I think the most important
factor in my garden is the type of solid they are growing in. The ones
planted in well amended soil do much better than the ones in heavy clay.