They have never flowered in three years in a row? 1. If you are doing some pruning after the shrubs have created flower buds, you might be prunning off next year's blooms. This mainly affects hydrangeas that bloom on 'old' wood. Otherwise, I would look at Mother Nature. 2. Some hydrangeas planted out of zone will require winter protection and, if they do not get it, they may produce new stems from the ground up every year, with nice dark green leaves... and with no blooms. 3. Finally, hydrangeas planted in dense shade MAY have a hard time flowering but this really varies; some do well and others struggle to bloom. You may have to get a variety that blooms on 'new' wood. But before doing that, do you know the name of the pink hydrangea variety that does not bloom?

There are three main reasons why a clematis doesn't flower: 1) The plant is still immature and hasn't reached flowering size yet. Clematis will take up to three to five years to become a fully mature plant, but they should carry a small number of flowers even while still young. 2) The most common problem with vines that produce an over abundance of green growth and no flowers is caused by a nutrient imbalance, usually too much nitrogen. It is best to fertilize clematis with organic, slow release fertilizers when you prune group three clematis (see Pruning FAQ for a full explanation of prune groups), usually in late February or early March. Fertilizers are characterized by 3 numbers representing the relative concentrations of nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium (N-P-K), in that order. Plants use nitrogen to grow foliage, phosphorus to develop root systems and form fruit, and potassium to promote flowers and develop resistance to disease. Choose a fertilizer with a low nitrogen number relative to the phosphorus number, such as 5-10-10, so that your plant will develop blossoms and roots, rather than lots of foliage. Some bulb or tomato fertilizers have concentrations similar to this. A second dose of fertilizer is recommended in June. Encapsulated three month slow release fertilizers are also a good choice. 3) Untimely pruning can also result in the loss of flowers, especially with the early flowered cultivars (these types include C. alpina, C. macropetela, and early large flowered hydrid types). These types of clematis form their flowers on the previous years growth. If pruning removes this new growth, the plant will not flower. Please also see the Pruning FAQ to get a better understaning of pruning requirements and how this affects flowering.

It is most commonly a soil moisture issue/hot temperature issue. The first thing to go when the plant is water stressed are flower buds and flowers. Otherwise, you would see the blooms fade (after a while) and start a color change progression that ends in brown blooms. I already went thru that early browning when my temperatures zoomed to the 100s. Heat dries out the sepals and makes them brown out if the plant cannot provide extra water. The heat can be in the environment or bounced off walls or in rocks that people put as organic mulch. Try giving it more shade (I aim for shade after 11am) so cover it with an umbrella or chair. Also supply more water and see if these things helps. In my also clayish but amended soil, I provide plants with 1.5 gallons of water per bush per watering. Try watering the soil (not the leaves) early in the morning and water from the root ball outwards. Mulch -about 2-3" up to the drip line also helps. Unusual causes: gray mold is a fungal infection of the blooms. The blooms brown out, feel papery and are covered with a gray-ish mold. But it is usually more common in the Spring or Fall.

They actually ARE flowering!! What you see are the fertile flowers of a climbing hydrangea. The larger, showy but sterile flowers are missing. This is a factor of both time established in the garden and the age of the plant. You just need to be more patient - the typical lacecap type flower heads will appear eventually but not quite so soon. In fact, it is surprising to me that you seeing any sort of flowering on a climbing hydrangea in only the second year.