Gardening question from Martin D. Huntington, New York

Dear info@executiveplantservice.com

Why does my blue hydrangea not flower each summer? My neighbor told me to prune it back each fall.

Answer: Assuming this plant in question is hydrangea macrophylla Nikko blue, you need to know the flower buds for next season develop on the previous years branches near the growing tips. Basically you are removing the flowers buds each time you prune in the fall. It is beneficial to remove about one third of older thicker branches every other year approximately to control size if need be and to stimulate new growth from the base of the plant.

Hopefully this helps.

executiveplantservice.com