Getting it to bloom

Why won't my Hydrangea 'Endless Summer' bloom? (and how to make it flower)

Also called Endless Summer Hydrangea, Reblooming Hydrangea (Hydrangea macrophylla 'Endless Summer').

More about hydrangea 'endless summer'

About Hydrangea 'Endless Summer'

Hydrangea macrophylla 'Endless Summer' · also called Endless Summer Hydrangea, Reblooming Hydrangea · flowering

Endless Summer is a reblooming bigleaf hydrangea that flowers on both old and new wood, giving mophead blooms from early summer to autumn. Flower colour shifts with soil pH: blue in acidic soil, pink in alkaline. A deciduous shrub for partial shade and moist, rich soil, it forgives spring frost damage by reblooming.

Plant type: flowering

Watch for — Few or no flowers: Usually too much shade, drought stress, or pruning at the wrong time. As a rebloomer it forgives some old-wood loss, but feed and water for best bloom.

The reasons hydrangea 'endless summer' isn't blooming

Almost every non-blooming hydrangea 'endless summer' traces back to one of these, roughly in order of how common they are:

Too little sun — most of these need full sun (or very bright light) to flower well; shade gives leaves, not blooms.
Too much nitrogen feed, driving lush foliage at the expense of flowers (very common with general or lawn feeds).
The plant has not been deadheaded, so it stops flowering once it sets seed.
Irregular watering — drought or waterlogging at the budding stage makes buds abort.
It is still too young or was checked by a transplant and is rebuilding before flowering.

Feeding hydrangea 'endless summer' a high-nitrogen general feed and growing it in too little sun — you get a big leafy plant and almost no flowers.

The fix — how to get hydrangea 'endless summer' to flower

Maximise sun. Give hydrangea 'endless summer' the sunniest spot you have — for most bedding and fruiting plants, more direct light directly means more flowers.
Switch the feed. Move off high-nitrogen feeds and use a higher-potassium "bloom" or tomato-type feed as it comes into flower.
Deadhead regularly. Remove spent flowers often to keep it producing more rather than stopping to set seed.
Water consistently. Keep moisture even through budding and flowering — drought-then-flood swings make buds drop.

Light and feeding do most of the heavy lifting here. Dial in the spot with the light guide for hydrangea 'endless summer' and get the feeding right with the hydrangea 'endless summer' fertilising schedule — the wrong feed (too much nitrogen) is one of the most common silent reasons a healthy plant makes leaves instead of flowers.

Bloom season and what to expect

Hydrangea 'Endless Summer' flowers across its growing season (mostly summer) and, kept fed and deadheaded, can bloom for many weeks or right up to frost.

Post-bloom care so it flowers again

Deadhead, keep feeding lightly, and many will rebloom; collect seed from the best plants at the end of the season if you want to grow them again.

For everything else this plant needs day to day, see the full hydrangea 'endless summer' care brief and its watering schedule — a stressed, badly watered plant rarely has the energy to flower at all.

Hydrangea 'Endless Summer' blooming — frequently asked questions

Why won't my hydrangea 'endless summer' flower?

Hydrangea 'Endless Summer' blooms on the season's growth given enough sun, warmth and the right feed — there is no cold or photoperiod trick, just good growing conditions and a bloom-leaning feed. The most common reason it is not happening: Too little sun — most of these need full sun (or very bright light) to flower well; shade gives leaves, not blooms.

How do I make hydrangea 'endless summer' bloom?

Give hydrangea 'endless summer' the sunniest spot you have — for most bedding and fruiting plants, more direct light directly means more flowers. Move off high-nitrogen feeds and use a higher-potassium "bloom" or tomato-type feed as it comes into flower.

When does hydrangea 'endless summer' normally bloom?