why didn't my pink dogwood bloom?

Last year in April a professional landscaper planted a lovely pink dogwood in my backyard. At the time of planting, it was in bloom and filled with the lovely delicate flowers.

This year, no blooms! Nada! Although the branches are filled with new green foliage and the branches are healthy, I didn't get a single flower.

Do you know why?

Thanks,

Rebecca

I don't have an answer, unfortunately, but I have had the same experience this year, and my tree has been in place for 4 years. This is the first time it has not bloomed. It seems very healthy and has vibrant foliage coming out on all branches. Do I need to feed it? I haven't done so before. If it is just going to have "those years", that's OK, but I don't want to lose this tree. I appreciate any advice anyone has.

I don't have your answer, but i do have a question about pink dogwood trees. We have a large, old one on our property. It has always had dark pink blooms, but this year they are very pale pink on the edges & white toward the middle of the bloom. Does anyone know why & how I can get them pink again for next year?

Mine also had almost no blooms. It is old and has been getting worse each year.

My mother has one that she purchased with two blooms.. pink and pretty. 2 years later, she still hasn't had it bloom. I think its a nutritional thing. I asked her to add phosporus and potassium... we will see if it worked come springtime

[ronald_monahan]

A late freeze (just like this year in the NE) can cause the tree to lose the blooms for the year. Have you had a late freezing weather?

[Ron B]

Complaints like this are frequently posted, not just about dogwoods specifically but a variety of trees and shrubs. Perhaps the stereotype is the small camellia that comes from the nursery covered in buds and then doesn't bloom again for years afterward in the home garden, until up to a much larger size. Apparently the heavy fertilization or other practice or condition in the production nursery produces a premature bud set that is not continued under the more normal environment of the final planting site.

[Gabriela Rind]

Yes we did have a late freeze, but I see that all the other dogwoods in the neighborhood have bloomed with no problems.
Gabriela

[Allioxide]

Usually when a dogwood doesn't bloom, it is because of a nitrogen deficiency. odd as it sounds, go to your local barber shop or hair salon, and request some hair cuttings. bury it around the trunk of your dogwood. This should boost the ammount of nitrogen in the soil.
As for the changing of colors, it can be a host of things, including aging of the tree, or a late frost. To protect from this happening again, you should try to cover the tree with tarps or even plastic garbage bags when expecting a frost. Remove in the morning, and the blooms should keep their color.

[Zzz]

To disagree with Allioxide: Nitrogen boosts growth and greening. Phosphorus will enhance bloom. Additionally, Cornus prefer a slightly acidic soil. Lastly, never cover a plant with plastic to prevent freezing. Contact with plastic will enhance frost damage considerably.

A checklist should include; proper watering, planting depth, sun exposure, drainage and soil condition, and disease. Improper water is almost always the simplest and most likely culprit although most of us would prefer a more exotic explanation.