New Hydrangea - when will it bloom? (flowers, hydrangeas, yard)

[Newdaawn]

This will be the third spring since I planted a new hydrangea. Last year it was still small but looked very healthy. I believe this is a variety called "moonlight" and is supposed to produce deep pink blossoms. Should I expect it will bloom this season? It gets late afternoon sun only. In another location in my yard I have had another variety that took about 3 years to get going and now it produces gorgeous large blossoms. I think this one is a limelight. The blossoms start out with a green tint and then as the time goes on they turn all white. In early fall they seem to take on a darker tint. My limelight is in a moister location than the moonlight one. Thanks for any suggestions. I love the hydrangea as it has such a long blooming time.

[azoria]

I hope it will bloom this year!

Please remember that long lived shrubs take time to get going. --Depending on the climate--such shrubs will spend the first two or three years putting out the roots that feed the plant to create the blooms.

People can't see plant roots because they're under the ground surface. But the plant roots are the factory which gathers and funnels the nutrients to support the greenery above the surface, which produces the desired blooms.

But once your hydrangea gets its mojo on, it will live for many decades producing a bounty of beautiful flowers. Patience my friend, it will come.

This year I think you will get flowers. Ten years from now your hydrangea will be huge. Gardening of long lived plants takes foresight. But they're worth the wait and the effort, and some day you can sit back doing nothing at all while your pretty and established hydrangea flowers like crazy. Time. Patience. It will happen.

[composter]

I have found with Hydrangeas that keeping the new growth pinched back for the 1st 2 years will encourage them to get fuller. This means no blooms for the 1st 2 years, but well worth the wait. Good things are worth waiting for rather than instant gratification. I have also found that if a plant is not happy in it's home it will tell you by performing poorly.

Yes, shrubs do need to have the time to set down their roots-plants are much like people as it takes them time to adapt to their new home. Be patient and happy gardening .

[TheDragonslayer]

I agree with the two prior posters, unless a hydrangea is already large when it is planted, it will need two to even three years to establish a strong root system. And as the poster before me said, pinch it back to encourage root growth. Depending on how tall you want it to be, cut it back to that height each year, it will force the growth of the plant down into the stems and roots, on new growth also cut it back halfway to where you want it and to two nodes, that way you will always get two stems that when it blooms, will produce two buds, I call it doubling up. Acidifying your soil with sphagnum moss, ground bark or coffee grounds will help the plant draw in more nutrients from he soil and produce a darker green foliage.