Plants don't age in the same way we think of people aging. Age in people is a described on a chronological basis, where plants age ontogenetically. This might be framed as, the parts that have taken the most cell divisions to produce are the plant's oldest parts; so strangely, the most recent part of the plant (say, a new branch high on the plant) to grow is the oldest part of the plant. The youngest part of the plant will be found in the root to shoot transition zone. This juvenile part of the plant is also nearly always the most vigorous part of the plant. Plants pass through life stages until they end up at the sexually mature stage. At that point they are capable of blooming/fruiting. Whether they DO or not is complicated and not entirely understood. Blooming and other environmental reactions of most healthy plants are primarily influenced by day length (technically it's night length), but more than a few plants are triggered by other factors, like moisture availability, temperature, predation. Some plants even seem to have an internal 'alarm clock' that acts as a trigger to bloom. There are species of bamboo that bloom as infrequently as every 130 years and when the bloom occurs, all plants of a given genetic origin bloom simultaneously, en masse (all at once), and this occurs regardless of environmental influences. Now, that a plant is capable of blooms/fruit doesn't mean it will produce same, no matter how much we hope. The factors that limit a plant's ability to bloom are as complicated as those that trigger blooming. The plant's internal chemical messengers that limit blooming is first influenced by the plants ontogenetic age, but then by health, stress, stored energy reserves, a significant number of environmental factors, and sometimes seemingly no more than a built-in piqued obstinacy that can be more irritating than Justin Bieber or the Kardashians, if that's even possible. How do I get it to bloom? Keep it healthy and let it do its thing. You can search online - there might be some simple ways to coax it to bloom exactly whenever it feels like it. How old does it have to be? The only age important to plants is what growth phase they're in. They have to be old enough chronologically to have reached sexual maturity. This is also complicated because the (ontogenetic) age of the parent plant from which the propagule (that is now your plant) was taken has to be a part of the equation. Example - a hawthorn tree from seed needs to survive around 20-25 growth cycles to bloom; whereas, a cutting from a blooming hawthorn tree can be counted on blooming within a few years if its state of vitality has been generally good. Al

A few thoughts... Was the weather hot this year? I know it's tough growing on concrete or blacktop, that usually makes matters worse. Also, maybe you had SVB problems... currently or in the past (growing in the same spot, they can hatch this year right under the plant.) It's hard to tell if it's SVB or bacterial wilt... bacterial wilt often takes down the entire plant... yours looks like just part of the plant. The fruit aborts can be heat related, especially since they are on pavement. I have a rear main vine on blacktop and no fruits set there, plus some leaves have crispy edges. The dried up leaves near the middle look similar to aged leaves near the beginning of a plant--they get that look from a combination of things--age, heat, wetting of the leaves during high heat, etc. I would look for signs of frass & holes in the vine section that's wilted, close to the stump. Also kinked or broken vines can cause the rest of a section of vine to wilt like that. See if you have any cucumber beetles in the flowers too. Hope this helps. Mark

Icedragonlady, This is normal. Many of mine changed during the winter months indoors. Likely they will shed as you bring them out. Remind your friend that they should slowly expose the plant to direct sunlight until they acclimate. Ed

Congratulations! The new plant looks very young and nice. You need to "check two boxes" when researching if your plant will produce blue blooms in a new garden: your soil must have naturally occurring aluminum in appropriate quantities and the soil must be acidic (soil pH much less than 7.0) so the aluminum will not chemically mix with other minerals and become impossible or difficult to absorb through the roots. Get a soil pH test kit to confirm if your soil pH is adequate. Kits are available at most plant nurseries although availability may be questionable during the winter season. Acidifying the soil with garden sulfur or aluminum sulfate may be required in order to produce blues or purples in alkaline soils (soil pH above 7.0). Follow the instructions on the package and observe the change as new blooms open (blooms that are already open will not change color or will not change the color much; also, normally white blooms will not change color at all). Apply the acidifying product forever per the product directions (every three months or ???) and follow the instructions precisely because (1) if you discontinue applying the product, the soil will have a tendency to slowly revert back to its normally alkaline pH and (2) the tiny, shallow, fibrous root of hydrangea plants could get burned by applying excessive amounts of these sulfur containing products.. If after applying the product for about a year or two does not yield the correct shade of color, proceed to slowly increase the amount applied of the product until you achieve the correct results that you want. A soil pH kit that gives numeric results may be more useful when doing this. Some color changes may slowly occur when a plant is originally planted outside in the garden, as the root system slowly expands from a non-acidic potting soil medium and into an acidic garden soil. Notes: Some rock mulches (like the one in your picture) may be alkaline and hydrangea plantings near cemented areas can also be in alkaline soil as cement leeches lime and lime raises acidic soil pH into alkaline territory. Blooms tend to be pink with alkaline soils (pH above 7.0). Below 7.0, some blooms may turn purple and as the soil pH becomes much more acidic, the blooms turn blue. Also Also, there are some cultivars of hydrangea macrophylla that resist turning blue and turn purple instead at normally acidic levels. There are too many cultivars that produce blue and purple blooms with very few differences so it is hard to identify cultivars. Can you ask the person who provided you with the cuttings?