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On one of the hydrangea plants the flower is blooming as expected whereas with the other plant only some of the buds are blooming or not blooming at the same time to give it a nice pretty look. I have attached both pictures. What is wrong with the one that is not blooming simultaneously?

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JStorage
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These are two different varieties of Hydrangea - they're both H. macrophylla, but the second picture shows a lacecap variety, whereas the first shows a 'mophead' type. Lacecaps flower exactly as shown in your picture, and don't develop the full head of open flowers you see in the first picture. Guidance and images on types of hydrangea here http://www.hydrangeashydrangeas.com/identify.html

Bamboo
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  • They are all the same variety because I planted them. Last year they all bloomed as expected. This year is different. Not sure why. – JStorage Jun 11 '17 at 18:51
  • Well, whatever you think you planted last year, what you've got this year is exactly what I've said in my answer. – Bamboo Jun 11 '17 at 21:33
  • Are you sure when you planted them last year all of the second ones flowers wernt already out ?. As if it's like mine the flowers stay on it quite a while before they start to dry out. – Iain Simpson Jun 11 '17 at 22:40
  • @bamboo I find a lot of your answers very helpful. On this one you may be factually accurate but It does not help me practically speaking. I planted these 6 years back and have been getting mopheads every year except this one and hence the question. – JStorage Jun 12 '17 at 04:50
  • Well that is strange, and usually, when this sort of thing happens, the explanation is genetic in some way; mutation, chimerism or the presence of two plants in one pot, one of which becomes the 'leader' so to speak, over time, with perhaps the other one dying out, without your ever realising. Does this whole plant produce lacecap flowers, all over, with no other type of flowering head? – Bamboo Jun 12 '17 at 11:49
  • Right now, all the flowers are lacecap. I have not fertilized this year so that may explain why the inside flowers are not blooming but I am only guessing. – JStorage Jun 12 '17 at 18:19
  • the flowers in the centre do not open up on lacecaps, and these won't open up whether you fertilize or not, makes no difference – Bamboo Jun 12 '17 at 18:44
  • Interestingly, one of the flowers is purple instead of pink (which is what all the other's are). That may be due to lack of fertilizer. Just an observation – JStorage Jun 27 '17 at 01:04
  • Purple, or a sort of lilacy pink? That would indicate borderline ph - acid produces blue flowers, alkaline pink, and just a fraction on the acid side gives that lilacy pink. – Bamboo Jun 27 '17 at 01:23
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Hello: I have lots of hydrangea in my gardens and this issue was fascinating to me. The bottom photo is absolutely a lacecap flower, not a mophead, so I did some research and found this on ask.extension.org

Hydrangeas are usually propagated by cuttings so the only way they would change from mophead would be via mutation and it would be unusual for several bushes to change at the same time and all of the bushes to completely change. If you had a grafted plant that would be more likely to revert if the top were killed by cold/disease etc. then the understock could be lacecap. Soil pH and fertility shouldn't affect bloom formation but without seeing the blooms it wouldn't hurt to have a soil test done and see how you can improve the health of your plants.

J. Chomel
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judy
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J. Storage, you need to check the pH. Pink means more alkaline. Blues and purples mean the correct amount of acidity this plant loves. If pH is off then you will see deficiencies in chemicals/nutrients the plant needs for normal functions. Looks like the pH is way off by the color of the flowers...pretty amazing huh! Not to mention the leaves are showing deficiency. If the pH is off some chemicals will not be available to the plant loving a different pH. Check the pH and tell us what you've used for fertilizer. Too high nitrogen coming in from possibly your lawn fertilizing could be a culprit in low reproductive growth. The leaves are saying they are unable to take up proper chemistry. When plants gets stressed? Plants will put all of their energy into reproductive growth. Lots of flowers, sickly vegetative growth. changing pink to blue Don't take the entire article as gospel okay?

And those flowers are not on the same shrub as Bamboo indicated. Those are two different hydrangeas both needing a more acidic soil. No way could they be from the same shrub, yes??

stormy
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    This does not answer my question Reg the flower formation. My question is not about the color. I have been getting pink flowers from day one and happy with that. – JStorage Jun 11 '17 at 20:49
  • My information is about why your hydrangeas are anemic for one and two, why so few flowers: Not enough chemistry to produce lots of flowers, that pink is a sign of improper pH making any chemicals necessary for photosynthesis to support flowers minuscule. As obvious by the pink color. And there is no way those two flowers are on the same shrub, yet they are both suffering from too high of a pH. Does that help with my answer? I don't care about the color except that that color tells me the chemistry your soil for these hydrangeas is off. We are still on the same page! – stormy Jun 11 '17 at 21:07
  • Can you see the leaves of your hydrangeas? They are saying the same thing as those flowers indicate. – stormy Jun 11 '17 at 21:08
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    @stormy At least in the UK, pink hydrangeas are certainly not "improper" or "anemic". In fact attempts at growing blue ones often turn into a mess because the flowers are a mixture of pink and blue. For the most trouble free results, you just need to choose cultivars that grow best in the soil pH that you have - pink for alkaline, blue for acid. The OP's pink ones look perfectly healthy to me - just two different varieties, whatever the OP *thought* he/she had planted. It's not the first time that similar looking plants have the wrong labels on them! – alephzero Jun 11 '17 at 23:09
  • @alephzero Bit of miscommunication here. I was talking about the leaves, the leaves of those shrubs! That shows a deficiency or a pH problem that causes deficiency. My goodness, it is true that I hate pink! My baby sister always got pink I got yellow. Yup I admit, I hate pink to this day. Crazy huh? Of course one can plant 2 different shrubs because of mislabeling! Those two shrubs make an incredible combination. My point is totally aside from aesthetics is the color tells us what the pH is doing. We know that Hydrangeas love acidity. When the color is pink that says the soil is... – stormy Jun 12 '17 at 01:12
  • ...alkaline. Fun for those who love pink but it means the pH is not right for the hydrangea itself, the shrub is weakened by a number of calamities because of pH and most assuredly other factors. There was nothing at all meant to be some sort of put down? Is that how I sounded? Anemic for instance is exactly what could be hampering these shrub's health. Could be iron, temperature of the soil, nitrogen...or more. Improper? I meant contraindicated. I am not at all someone who could utter insults even to enemies. Not even disguised insults. Couldn't even think insults! I am sorry. – stormy Jun 12 '17 at 01:24
  • stormy, the OP could create a hydrangea paradise (soil-wise etc.) and *still the **shape** of the flowers of the second one wouldn't change*! This is a cultivar that will show large flowers around minuscule ones in the center. And this is exactly what the OP wondered about, but you didn't focus on at all. Please remember the first rule of "Answer the question!" here at Stack Exchange. – Stephie Jun 12 '17 at 11:24
  • I am very confused. I thought my answer was exactly what he needed/wanted. @Stephie of course this isn't about the shape of the flowers, not even the color. He wanted to know why there were so few flowers this year. Well, using the color I can tell the pH is off to the point the hydrangea plant is not healthy. Check out the leaves. Please. Hydrangeas love acidic soil. You can turn them pink by raising the pH bu a little to far could cause Nitrogen unavailablity or other nutrients. I know the difference between these two flowers...What is the problem here? – stormy Jun 12 '17 at 17:46
  • His question I thought was answered by Bamboo that there are two different types of hydrangeas, two different flower types. I assumed..that he thought the lace cap flowers weren't fully opening at the same time as the Mop head thinking they were both the same hydrangea. My concern is the plants are not healthy and was trying to also cover the bases that the blooms were sparse from the year before. There is obviously something off for these shrubs nutrient or chemical wise. Hydrangea need acidic soil, very pink hydrangeas and yellowing leaves tell me that there might just be a reason... – stormy Jun 12 '17 at 17:52
  • ...for the lack of blooms because the vitality of those plants has been reduced possibly for lack of nutrients added or unavailability of nutrients because of pH. Gees. Major big sigh. I try to accommodate the OP always and I did but I guess I shouldn't care that there is an obvious problem that needs addressing that could also answer his question besides setting him straight he's got two different types of hydrangeas and lace caps don't turn into mop heads. Love that name from Bamboo. She answered the question and I referred to the fact there were two different shrubs, two different... – stormy Jun 12 '17 at 17:59
  • ...flower types. His question could also be read though not shown by closeups the blooms on both plants are scarce this year. Not enough nutrients to make enough energy to produce profuse flowers. If I've got leaves in a photo with obvious symptoms and Bamboo has already pointed out the differences in flower types, I am going to answer by pointing this out. Next time I won't answer, I'll just comment. But I will point out his plants themselves are not doing well. – stormy Jun 12 '17 at 18:04