In some years, hokierustywilliamsbu, Big Daddy and Ayesha are tardy varieties but check for other possibilities. I have seen some posts talking about Big Daddy producing no flowers but I do not know if the shrub improved afterwards so, .... check the things below to produce a balance of sun, water and nutrients that should encourage the plant to bloom.

* Start with no pruning after flower buds develop. This means if you have to prune for some reason, do it after blooming and by the end of June (this month by the way!). Never prune Big Daddy in the Spring since it blooms on old wood.

* Try to maintain the soil consistently moist, as best as you can. A method often recommended is called the finger method. For 1-2 weeks, check the soil moisture daily by inserting a finger to a depth of 4". If it feels almost dry or dry then water and mark this on a calendar. After 1-2 weeks, check the notes in your calendar to determine how often you are watering. Then set the sprinkler/drip irrigation system to water the same amount of water on the same frequency (every two/three/fours/etc days). If the temperatures vary by 10-15 degrees (up or down) and stay there, check again. Begin once a week or once every two week watering once the plant goes dormant in the Fall. Stop watering when freezing temperatures arrive.

Winter can cause hydrangeas to abort flower buds, especially if the temperatures are below the range that makes the plant hardy in your zone. Drying winter winds can also have the same effect. But if winter regularly causes this to happen, that means something is afoot because Big Daddy is hardy on your Zone. Unless of course, the plant was mislabeled and is actually some other variety. But..... ohhh, that never happens, right?

* Too much fertilizer - if you grow them on the ground, they will be fine with one fertilizer application in April and another in June/July only. The last application should occur in early July. Weak fertilizers like coffee grounds, etc should also stop by July. By doing this, tender new growth (which includes the buds that start developing in July) will not get killed by sudden freezing temperatures in early Fall. Also, make sure that your lawn fertilizer does not get close to the hydrangeas since this type of amendment is high in nitrogen.

* look for pests - rabbits, deer, squirrels, etc can nibble on your flower buds. If this is the case, you should at least see the buds come out in Spring and then... disappear.

* some sunlight is needed. If you have very dense shade, try raising the canopy of trees or transplanting elsewhere.

* monitor the area where Big Daddy is planted for signs of trouble once the buds begin to develop in July and continue thru Spring. Make sure there are no 'lack of moisture' problems that would force the plant to abort the flower buds. Water is needed during dry winters too so water if the soil does not freeze. Too much water or standing water episodes (after a rain) can also weaken the plant roots if your soil does not drain well (think clay soil) so do not go overboard when watering and consider transplanting if the area regularly gets standing water after a rainfall.

* Maintain 3-4" of mulch. This helps maintain soil moisture for longer time periods and lets you water more sparingly. Watering too often can cause root rot.

* Consider making a soil test. This is something we should do once every few years (3-5). It can alert you to deficiencies in some minerals.

Luis

Thanks Luis--Bouquet Rose, ES, Nikko, Preziosa, Mini Penny, Lady In Red, Altona, Europa, ASB,Hamburg, Gelitan dome, Blushing Bride, Golden Sunlight and Forever Series no problem but Big Daddy and Ayesha are foliage plants--are they more tender???

FYI-Both Big Daddy and Ayesha are in fact finally showing buds-esp, happy with Ayesha as she was a Lowes rescue last Summer....

Ayesha and Big Daddy do have buds after a very mild winter-the lantana is comming back from the roots!!!! Ayesha has a good number of buds but Big Daddy shows but a few-lots of old wood survived. What is the parents of Big Daddy-anyone know?

I know up North here people I know who have planted Big Daddy dont have success. People up North who want huge blooms my suggestion would be FE Blue Heaven. I also have a Goliath that I planted in my yard at first. It was Semi Reliable, but I take it in the garage for Winter now and is great! It's blooms edge out the Blue Heaven in size. Down south looking for huge blooms might want to check it out.

Thanks Goliath is large here but not a lot of blooms-but
Big Daddy rarely blooms here-Ayesha does bloom more than Big Daddy-all others do fine-esp. Nikko and ES....