When Do Hydrangeas Bloom? Care Tips, Reasons, & Types

Hydrangeas are a favorite among gardeners, and it’s easy to see why. If you’re inexperienced with this particular flowering plant, you might wonder when you can expect to see blooms. It’s no wonder – these lustrous, clustered blooms are absolutely breathtaking.

Or maybe you have hydrangeas, and they haven’t shown any of their beautiful blooms yet. The honest answer is that there is no definitive time when your hydrangeas will blossom. We will go over various factors about what you can expect, why your hydrangeas might not bloom as quickly as you want, and other helpful information. Let’s dig in.

What to Expect

These shrubs are incredibly easy to maintain, making them an excellent option for people who like to be more hands-off in their landscape. They are excellent space fillers, looking fantastic in many different yard setups. These perennials come back year after year, and grow each time.

These plants are considered fast-growing, meaning they grow more than 24 inches in a year’s time. Every year, they will continue to grow in size, but they might slow down as the years’ pass.

Types of Hydrangeas

Hydrangeas can look very different from one another even if you’re super familiar with them by sight alone.

Before Planting

The entire idea of creating successful hydrangeas in your space is to plant them at the right time. Ideally, it would help if you planted these beauties in the fall. This might sound peculiar to you, as most spring shrubs and flowers go in as soon as winter translates into warmer months.

However, the best time to plant these flowers is in the fall because it helps them establish a healthy root system before they bloom. They can take the winter months to rest and really start to ruin the springtime.

Once they establish this healthy root system, it promotes optimal growth and ensures vibrant and beautiful blooms when the time comes. You can also plant these beauties in the springtime. They just might not yield as many blooms the first year, as they have not established their route system properly yet.

In either case, your hydrangeas will look beautiful the year after planting. Since these shrubs get so large, you can enjoy them yearly, producing more beautiful blooms.

Placement for Hydrangeas

Hydrangeas are bold and beautiful, and you’ve likely enjoyed the side of them several times before even claiming them as your own. But we want to stress how important it is to know exactly where you’re going to plant these beauties.

They are a prevalent choice among gardeners who want to expand their spaces quickly. They are rapidly growing shrubs, meaning that they get big fast! They make fantastic choices for fence fronts, flowerbeds, and yard aesthetics.

Keep in mind these plants will continue to grow and grow year after year. In their first year of life, they can reach out to 24 inches in height and grow substantially every year thereafter.

But be sure not to plant them near any other plants that might suffer.

Placing these plants next to other perennials might be challenging to keep them alive, as hydrangeas can overshade or steal nutrients from other plants.

Hydrangeas Grow Without Much Assistance

Aside from the apparent beauty, many gardeners and landscapers love this plant because it is so easy to maintain. Once you start the plant, it takes off, flourishing and even under questionable conditions. They sell out nicely, growing more than many alternative shrub choices.

Hydrangeas Bloom at Different Times

Hydrangeas have a wide range of bloom times during the spring and summer months. Some may bloom early in the season, while others aim more towards the end. It just depends on the individual plant and environmental conditions.

If you plant your hydrangeas in the fall as what is ideal, you can likely explore blooms by early summer. However, if you wait until spring to plant your hydrangeas, you will probably see a center cluster of blooms towards the fall.

However, it is entirely possible to see hydrangea blooms from early summer to early winter. They are quite versatile bloomers that flower at different times two show their beauty off longer than many other flowering plants.

Causes of Hydrangea Failing to Bloom

There are a few factors to consider if your hydrangea is not blooming as you expected. Most of these signs would be visible, like the browning of the leaves and stalks, wilting, and indications that there’s a greater problem at hand.

But if you seem to have perfectly healthy stocks, you might wonder why you do not see any flowers. Here are the most likely contributions to that issue.

Hydrangea Care Tips

Hydrangeas can be such magnificent plants to add to your landscape. They are hearty, beautiful and grow exceptionally large. If you’re looking for a flower bed filler, nothing will impress you like the growth of your hydrangeas.

Of course, you will want to provide the right kind of environment for them as they still do have some preferences. For example, these plants grow best in nutrient-rich soil. If you live in arid, desolate climates, you might have trouble successfully growing these plants.

However, if you live anywhere with lush soil, you can almost guarantee that these plants will look perfect.

Hardiness Zone

Hydrangeas do best in zones 3 to 7. This is quite a broad range, so you can enjoy them in many different places. That’s one reason why they are such a common landscape choice.

Soil

Hydrangeas work best in soil with tons of organic matter and bountiful nutrients. They are hungry little plants, needing much sustenance to grow to their fullest potential. They prefer moist, well-draining soil.

Lighting

Hydrangeas are considered full sun plants, meaning they thrive in the sun. They require at least six hours of direct light per day. However, consider when you’re planting these plants that they thrive better in morning to mid-afternoon light, but the evening sun can do real damage. Have a way to protect the leaves from browning and other damage.

Growth

Hydrangeas are extremely fast-growing plants, growing upwards of 24 inches per year. They can get as high as 15 feet tall.

Final Thoughts

Hydrangeas grow quickly, bloom beautifully, and last years. They are a wonderful addition to charm the aesthetics of any sized yard. Even though they aren’t in full bloom year-round, we appreciate their beauty more. Now you know that the flowering time can vary based on the plant itself, so you never quite know when these little blossoms will surprise you.

Featured Image Credit: SariMe, Shutterstock