I have a few hydrageas that I have had for three to four years and they have not bloomed except the first year

Question

I live in Sanford, NC. What am I doing wrong?

Answer 1

Some varieties don't bloom year after year. The Mophead (rounded) varieties are notorious for not blooming year after year.
Also, a lack of blooms could be due to pruning at the wrong time.
There may be a general lack of Phosphorous in the soil, & too much Nitrogen may have caused a lot of leafy growth at the expense of blooms.

Or...sometimes hydrangea will leaf out early in the spring during a warm spell and then get caught in a late spring freeze. If the new growth came only from the ground, then types of hydrange that blooms only on old wood will not bloom this year.

The smooth hydrangea (Hydrangea arborescens), bloom on new wood so if you prune in late winter or early spring, you won't accidentally cut off this year's flowers. Others, like some mopheads and many big-leaf hydrangeas (H. macrophylla) bloom on old wood, so any late-season (or fall or winter) pruning you do erases next year's flowers.
You can "prune a third of the stems of mophead hydrangeas (H. macrophylla) to the ground after blooming and cut off flower heads when they become tattered. But do not prune the flowerless straight shoots without side branches because these are the ones that will branch out and flower next year."*

They are heavy feeders. To encourage flowering, use a fertilizer low in Nitrogen and with a Phosphorus content over 30. (An N-P-K ratio of 10-40-10 is ideal) & fertilize them regularly. Organic soil enriched with compost is best. If using store-bought fertilizers & you don't want to fuss with a scheduled feeding of fertilizer, you can also use a slow-release fertilizer like osmacote or use manure around your plants. Water on a regular basis.

Too much shade will also retard the development of flowers. Full sun can scorch the leaves so part sun to shade is best. Morning sun and afternoon shade is ideal. In frost zones, winter protection & planting in an area away from drying winter winds helps.
Good luck! Hope this helps.