What was the temperature in the garage? There shouldn't be any dead wood, just year old wood. Here they flower mid to late summer on old wood. You might get some bloom on this year’s wood late in the season.

We live in the suburb of NYC. The garage is about 40 degrees. Photo #1 is from this year's newly purchased hydrangea macrophylla. It bloomed from April and you can see that it just past its peak. Photo #2 is from last year's hydrangea macrophylla.

Yes you are correct it is not dead wood. I meant old wood. You can see from this picture that nothing is growing on top of the old wood and if there is anything growing, it is from the side of the old wood.

So that is why i am a bit puzzled as to why it has not bloomed.

Thanks so much for your help.

As was previously stated, it is TOO EARLY for bigleaf hydrangeas to be in bloom in your area. The more recently purchased ones that did have buds/flowers in April were either greenhouse grown or imported from a southern nursery. Anywhere further north than say Virginia, Hydrangea macrophyllas do not bloom until June at the earliest. Even in my very mild winter climate and an area very conducive to growing any kind of hydrangea, these are a midsummer bloomer.

Great. Will upload pictures when them bloom :)

Just wanted to give you an update on my hydrangea macrophylla. They have doubled in size from last year, but no sign that it will bloom :(

did you prune it last fall?..you could've removed the invisible flower buds on the old wood..

Yes. Just the the flower part.

that wouldn't be it then..

It probably won't bloom this year. So what should our next steps be? Come Fall, we will need to move it back to the garage. Do we prune it back? Will it ever bloom next year? We purchased 2 new ones this year. We will again make an attempt to bring them back to life next Spring. What should be doing to make it more successful?

don't prune it!..I had a macrophylla in a pot..I overwintered it in my shed several winters in a garbage bag filled with leaves..it always bloomed..I basically never pruned it..only dead or damaged flowers/stems..

couldn't find the pic when the blooms were pink..I got tired of the routine and planted it outside in an out of the way spot..if it doesn't bloom so what..this year my macs bloomed..

better than zero blooms but unattractive compared to some of the paniculatas I've seen..

do you have sun?..plant paniculatas..arborescens bloom for me and I like them..but I see paniculatas here that are to die for..

I just bought 3 oakleaf hydrangeas..I think they'll do better in my shade than a paniculata..

arborescens hydrangeas..