jclay your hydrangeas are beautiful! I imagine you are both right, I need to use some compost. Luis, I had another hydrangea that someone gave me as a gift. It was pink, I planted it and it took 10 years for that one to bloom again. Now it's growing slowly but has lots of blooms. So perhaps my yard needs a major work-over! I am in zone 7a. Last winter had a couple of 20 degree days but not that many, and I don't remember any hard frosts in the spring. I don't believe deer are eating the blooms, the plant really looks great, other than no blooms, and I have never seen any buds. This shrub gets full sun from about 8am to 4 pm. I haven't tested my soil, but I am pretty sure I added absolutely nothing when I planted it. As a matter of fact, a few years after planting, I had to add more top soil because the roots were starting to show. That was about 6 years ago. I live in northern virginia, so I believe our soil is fairly acidic. Thanks so much for your help! Can anyone tell me how to add a pic to my post?

PeeGee Hydrangeas can take full sun, even in the South. In fact, they NEED at LEAST 5 hours of full sun. I would suggest never using Miracle Gro on a shrub (or anything for that matter) that is planted in the ground. Use an organic fertilizer for perennials, trees and shrub beds. Never fertilize in extreme heat, when a plant is very dry or stressed in any manner. Chemical fertilizers, like Miracle Gro, will build up around your plants. The molecules are held together with salts that, when built up, will eventually burn your plants. These fertilizers also tend to make plants shoot leggy growth that is not cold tolerant, so never fertilize after August 1st. Use a fertilizer that is organic. I am not a purist about organic fertilizers - I use Miracle Gro in all of my containers (pots, flower boxes, etc.) that contain annuals. In fact, I use it every time I water them. Use a product like Bumper Crop, Pay Dirt, or composted manure.

Have you considered a oakleaf hydrangea? I have 6 of them and they do well here in the Norman area. Some get a couple hours morning sun, some get filtered sun for a few hours mid-day and one only gets bright shade. Each of them have great flowering and are beautiful shrubs. They have great fall coloring as well. These are panicle blooms rather than the big snowballs. I do have one that is in sun for several hours in the afternoon (due to losing a shade tree in the ice storm) and it is very unhappy. I hope it holds on until the shade tree rebounds. With that said, I do have 2 Endless Summer Hydrangeas. I put them in large pots temporarily as I had no idea where to place them. Now one of them is in the ground. They have been getting sun from about 9:00-2:00 and have done well. The one I put in the ground doesn't get as much sun and isn't blooming as well as the other. The nice thing about the ES hydrangeas is they bloom all summer rather than a blast early. They come in several colors. I have Bride (something) and it the flowers are white with a hint of pink as they age. With the clay I have here (which has been amended endlessly for years) I always raise my shrubs. I just dig the hole about half to 2\3 of the height of the pot and then with good soil I just build up the area to the top of the root ball and then use rocks or bricks to hold the soil in place. For a large Oakleaf the rock is about 2 feet out from the trunk. I have added a bunch of info here as I am happy to get to answer something for a change. I lurk and learn here mostly. lol Try this site for info on the different types of hydrangeas. Here is a link that might be useful: All about hydrangeas

Thank you guyground, luis, and springwood... I will try tip pruning a little earlier next year... I am glad to know about Tardiva being a late bloomer.... My VS gets about 3 hours of sun, which is probably like getting 4 or 5 hours in a zone 6.. Anyway, it's enough to produce lots of blooms which look good for about 2 weeks before starting to get brown. But maybe not next year!