How to Get Potted Hydrangeas to Rebloom

Prune the hydrangea hard after it finishes blooming. Clip each stem back with the pruning shears so that only two leaf nodes or two pairs of leaves remain on each shoot. Discard the shoots you remove.

Mix 1 part potting soil and 1 part peat moss, using enough of both materials combined to fill a larger container so the plant will have room to grow. Initially, fill the container halfway with the potting mix.

Remove the hydrangea from its container by tapping the sides of the pot firmly with the pruning shears to loosen the plant. Grasp the plant stems at the crown and pull it gently out of the container. Shake the excess soil from the roots and discard the old soil.

Place the hydrangea in the fresh potting mix in the larger container. Add additional growing media to fill the container, pressing the soil down gently with your hands. Water the plant thoroughly to saturate the soil.

Place the container in an indoor location that receives full sunlight. Keep the soil evenly moist.

Mix fertilizer with water according to package recommendations to fertilize the hydrangea twice each month. Pour the fertilizer over the soil carefully.

Move the hydrangea to an outdoor growing location after the final spring frost. A location that receives morning sunlight and afternoon shade is ideal. Continue watering and fertilizing the hydrangea on the same schedule.

Prune long shoots during the first half of the summer to keep the plant from getting leggy. Remove the tips of stems by pinching them off between your thumb and forefinger just above a leaf node.

Move the hydrangea back indoors to a sunny window immediately before the first hard freeze of autumn. Continue watering to keep the soil evenly moist, but discontinue fertilizing.

Remove all leaves from the plant by pinching them off with your fingers at the beginning of November.

Place the hydrangea in a location with temperatures ranging between 35 and 40 degrees Fahrenheit. Keep the hydrangea in this location for six weeks without watering it.

Move the plant to a sunny location with temperatures ranging between 55 and 60 F. Water the hydrangea thoroughly to saturate the soil. Resume the twice-monthly fertilization schedule and keep the soil evenly moist. Watch for blooms within approximately four months.