Flowers not blooming...

I planted a new flower bed with lilies and irises and hydrangeas last fall. The plants are beautiful and healthy, but not blooming. My neighbors' gardens are full of flowers. Do you think this is because this is their first year or because I planted them in partial shade when they should have been planted in full sun? If it's because of the sun, do you think they'll bloom later this season?

Over here in my area hydrangeas are fine in partial shade, but it is too early for them to be blooming. It's also too soon here for lilies and irises, but if your neighbors are blooming.... What kind of flowers do they have?

In your zone hydrangeas will need afternoon shade or else they'll fry so I'd definitely leave it where it is. I can't speak for the lilies & irises, but many shrubs (including hydrangeas) will be a bit shy to bloom their first (or sometimes even 2nd or 3rd) year in the ground. They will always take time to get their roots going first. You will sometimes see a few blooms the first year, but it's nothing to worry about if you don't. There's a saying "first year they sleep, second year they creep, third year they leap" which often holds true. You also need to watch your pruning time for hydrangeas--many of them bloom on old wood, so if you prune them in the fall/winter or in the spring before they bloom, you'll cut off the flowers. So if you cut them back when you planted them that would also prevent them from blooming.

Thank you! My neighbors don't have hydrangeas and I know next to nothing about growing them, but I've always really loved the way they look. Do you know if All Summer Beauty or Merritts Supreme bloom on old wood? I didn't cut them back when I planted them, but they looked awful over the winter and some of the wood broke off when we had snow. My neighbors have all different kinds of lillies that are blooming like crazy, but they are established plants and they are in full sun. I suppose I need to give them a few years. It's just strange to me that the lillies I planted at the house we used to rent bloomed in the first year. I guess that was just a fluke!

All Summer Beauty blooms on both old and new wood so you can prune it anytime, although you'll get more blooms if you follow the rules for pruning old wood plants (otherwise you cut off the old wood blooms and only get the ones on new wood) They're fairly compact anyway so don't necessarily need to be pruned very much. Merritt's Supreme blooms on old wood.

The lilies & the irises like more sun than hydrangeas so it's possible they're not getting enough. About how many hours of sun does that bed get?

It's on the North side of my house and gets mostly morning sun. Probably somewhere between four and six hours a day. I have some roses and camellias in the same flower bed that are doing fine although the roses are the latest bloomers I have.

It may be just the variety, there are some that bloom early and some are later.
I have 1 iris blooming now but no lilies, whereas a house about 1/4 mile from has some Tall bearded Irises blooming now. Have yet to see any lilies blooming yet, though


Here's a pic of 'Baby Blessed' blooming now

Lovely Iris! I'm a little farther south than you are so we have a little more in bloom right now. I have dwarf iris alba and another iris that I'm not sure about the variety. It will be pale blue if it ever blooms. I have 'Pacific Sunset' alstromeria in two different colors and 'Night Beacon', 'Pandora's Box', and 'Crimson Pirate' day lilies.

Ya, I realize you are further south than me. The point I was making was that even though other people's flowers may be blooming they may have a totally different variety.

Dwarf Crested Alba is a Midseason bloomer so it wouldn't be blooming yet.(if that's the one you have)
Pandora's Box and Night Beacon are early to mid so if they are getting less sun will probably bloom later
Crimson Pirate is a midseason

Thanks for all the great information!