Cold winter temperatures may kill the flower buds. This often happens to forsythia, flowering dogwood and peach. Nothing can be done to prevent this type of injury. Plants that are not fully hardy in Michigan will be most susceptible to cold injury. Improper pruning may cause failure to flower.
Some plants bloom only on last year's wood.
Cutting the plants back severely removes all the flowering wood. This happens most often on climbing roses. Florist's hydrangeas carry flower buds at the branch tips through the winter. These are often pruned off in the spring. First, it should be in full sun although some crops tolerate shade.