I received it as a gift 3 or 4 years ago, and I have always left it to grow outside in a pot. I was afraid after this horrid winter. But it's back. No blooms, yet at least, and that's not a surprise. But all I know is that it sometimes dies to the ground and has red blooms. This year I up-potted it to a 20 gallon container. From watching it I would hazard that it blooms on new wood.
How do you suppose I should treat it?
What to expect from 3 y.o. Gift grocer storeHydrangea plant
There is nothing you can do to "treat it" if you are talking about blooms. This past winter caused most macrophylla hydrangeas to abort their bloom buds for this year. If you have a newer generation hydrangea that blooms on both old and new wood then it may be still possible for it to bloom but from all I've read and seen the window of opportunity seems to be shutting down for this year. Keep it healthy and hope for a better season next year...
Yeah, I'm not expecting blooms this year. I up-potted this year, and it has grown larger than before. But you mentioned the macrophylla; is that what florist plants usually are? And do you know if red is a real/stable bloom color? I'd rather it weren't.
Thank you for your response, hcmcdole.
Yes, the large majority of florist hydrangeas are macrophyllas, which come in two versions based on their blooms: mophead or lacecap. The shade of bloom color will be determined by minerals in the soil or potting mix as well as the acidity/alkalinity. This means that your shade of pink, purple or blue can vary (ie, will be lighter or darker). By the way, a true red is not available yet; we get close with dark pinks. And white blooms are always the same shade of white.
Mine is definitely mop head, then. I'm glad to hear that wasn't plain red I saw; dark pink is okay. Thank you for the info Luis.