Not quite sure what would cause that, but on the same token this might be the best I've ever seen one bloom!

This is the second year. The first year it had maybe 3 blooms but this year is covered or at least on one side.

Mine does the same thing - only the side that gets full (afternoon) sun. Is this a fluke or just the nature of the beast?

Well maybe that is typical of the plant. I am not so happy . I would like the whole plant to bloom. :-)

Brooks23, I agree! Sounds like this one needs to be planted out in a field by its lonesome.

I may look for a new home for Bombshell this fall. Will have to think about it. I like Bobo but it does not get as big as Bombshell

LOL!! Luis, I was just going to say that my Bombshell is only blooming on one side this season and IS because of deer!! I moved earlier this spring from a non-deer populated area to a heavily deer populated area and I am now encountering first hand what others have been complaining about for years!! They have nibbled all the buds off one side of the hydrangea, ate the new leaves on my potted Japanese maples before I moved them as close to the house as I could managed and have now trimmed back my tomatoes and containerized raspberries!! Wretched creatures!!

I would also add that my Bombshell is not in full sun (that's my other big adjustment.....moving from nearly a full sun location on the beach to one that is heavily shaded by nearby woods) and did have a full compliment of buds forming all over the plant........before the deer got to it!

I am in the city so don't have to worry about deer but my friend in the country sure have plenty of problems with deer

Just wondering, how high of a fence does one need to protect the yard from deer? That is another way of saying that I am not sure how high they jump...

I've heard 8 feet is the minimum height for a proper deer fence. Then I've also heard that the young deer can sneak under a deer fence if there is any opening at the bottom and cause havoc trying to find the exit. Is it time for a Big Wall built by someone else and paid for by them as well?

Deer definitely have ADD. They'll gladly munch one side of anything and keep moving. Seem to move in straight lines rather than in circles.

Remember reading in older books regarding climbing roses, a caution about siting them on a property line fence or trellis. If your home was on the N or E side of that structure (rather than S or W), the blooms would tend to all face away from your yard, stimulated by the stronger sunlight from the S or W exposure. Don't know if that's so, or if it is, does it apply to other plants as well - like your bombshell?

The plant is on the west side of my house. To me it looks like both sides get sun but the front of the hydrangea does get the most sun and that is where it is blooming.

If you have room to spare, you can keep out deer with two fences of 4 feet high spaced 4 feet apart. My son's garden is next to a wildlife preserve with lots of deer, and he built two split rail fences and has no deer damage!

A

Z6 Boston thought this might be interesting, bombshell being a dwarf hy, climbing up my PW tree, stem is 5ft.or more

My Bombshell is getting bigger than I want and I am afraid if I trim it too much it will not bloom next year. I do like somethings about the hydrangea but not all.

Brooks, I only cut off the old blooms in the Spring

That is what I did this year and it did bloom good at least on one side. I would like to cut it back about 18 inches and I am afraid it won't bloom if I do that.

Bombshell is a paniculata that blooms on new wood so, nothing you do now pruning-wise will directly affect next year's blooms. Thus, in theory, if you prune now, you do not need to worry about affecting next year's blooms.

But a word of caution: that being said, a lot of people have complained about Bombshell producing zero blooms in prior years' full growing seasons so, it has been suggested that one keep Spring and Summer pruning to zero with this one, Not sure if it will help since the prior owners also reported never having pruned and they still had no blooms; so, it was suggested that they wait no more than 3 years for blooms.

I did not see any problem areas in your pictures... that is, areas that required pruning to fix so, you may be better leaving this chore out of your To-do List.... unless there was a reason. But pruning per se would not be needed as eventually, it would grow again and develop a similar shape as it has now.

Deadheading of spent blooms -a different matter- and pruning of any dead wood by late May should be safe.