There are many reasons why plants don't flower, but the #1 reason is too much fertilizer. The #2 reason is not enough light. No direct sunlight for the Christmas Cactus, just filtered light. Here is a website you can use to trouble shoot.

http://www.gardeningknowhow.com/ornamental/cacti-succulents/christmas-cactus/advice-for-christmas-cactus-care.htm

The hydrangea likes dappled sunlight (under a tree for example). Check out this site for hydrangea. http://www.thisoldhouse.com/toh/photos/0,,20488104,00.html.

Posting a picture would be very helpful...for you not me!

As far as I can recollect here's how I did it. For about two months starting in October I kept the plant in the cool 50F dark garage for 12-14 hours a day with little watering. Daytime, I placed the plant in a cool room with dim sunlight. The appearance of flower buds told me that this dormant plant wanted to wake up and go to work flowering so I moved the plant to a window with bright sunlight(indirect not direct) and increased the watering gradually but not by much. The temperature in the room should not go higher than 70 F or your flowers will drop off prematurely. Be patient, to get a Christmas cactus to bloom in your home is tricky business but it gives one a great deal of satisfaction once accomplished. I would also keep a little calendar diary on this plant so, should you be successful, you will be sure to do the same thing at the same time every year. Good Luck and Best Regards!

for the Christmas cactus I reduce watering from about June but keep the plant in good light. then in august I water sparingly and by October buds are forming. I have done this for many years now. It is typical behaviour for these succulents and is common amongst most of them and there cousins the cacti. in the wild they flower after the rainy season.

As for the hydrangea are you pruning it in the spring? Many of them flower on the previous year's growth. So don't prune them this year are see if they go on to flower. You don't say which variety it is you have or what sized pot they are in. Do you feed them at all?

Hi Lilian, you say you are new to computers. Please note that posting in capitals means that you are shouting at us! (I know you didn't intend to).

Oh, sometimes I hit the caps lock key so I don't have to bother with the shift key. Don't worry Lillian, my ears or rather my eyeballs are not ringing:)

Seaburn is right. There are two keys to flowering a christmas cactus, one is watering and one is day length.I do it a bit differently but both systems will work. I let them go dry for a couple of months or so in early autumn. Shortly before I want them to flower I give them a good soaking and buds should appear quite soon afterwards.
They are epiphytes and grow on trees like orchids, so they are designed to withstand periods of drought.Keeping them in a room which is allowed to be dark in the evening helps too. Once flower buds appear be careful not to turn the plants as the buds will try to follow the light and may fall off.

I have always kept mine in dormancy in a cool room. Do any of you think that a lower temperature is important too?

Well I don't know Loosestrife2 . the house is unheated through the summer and can get quite warm 18-24 degrees c in a good british summer and when the temp falls below 16 the heating kicks in but goes off at 18 so in my house its always cool-ish during the autumn and winter months;o)

I have always understood the triggers to be more light levels/water levels.

Well then temperature is not a variable to be considered. Thank you very much for your answer Seaburngirl.

Its interesting to read this now, I've had some xmas cacti for years and until I joined Goy in 2008 I never managed to get them to flower, I queried as to why on here and my answer was that I was looking after them too carefully, they were a really healthy looking collection, growing well with strong plump stems, now I neglect them for weeks at a time, only water them when they literally begin to go limp especially during late spring and into summer then they get a good drink but never leave them to stand in the water, sure enough I now have glorious flowers, one is beginning to flower now, however only two weeks ago I moved two upstairs to our landing as the dining room was looking a tad crowded, they went into what can only be called a mega sulk, I thought they were dusty at first as hubby had been rooting around in our attic which does open above the landing, some of the stems were turning very pale and papery,nearly offwhite in places, my plants were literally giving up the will to live, they were still getting the same amount of light so don't think that was a problem, I came to the conclusion that it was too warm for them upstairs as compared to our dining room, I fetched them back only yesterday and returned them to their original homes and already they have perked up, thank goodness...Now I wonder was I right in thinking that or was it simply because I had dared to move them??

Sounds like there was a sudden change in environmental conditions which caused the plants to go into shock. Here there was a sudden change in temperature which didn't allow them time enough to compensate for this change hence they went into shock. As for the mechanism of plant shock, I don't fully understand it. All the best to you Lincs.

At the local chiropractic clinic they had one in the entrance, a couple of yards from the door. It looked as you describe with very pale borders. i brought it home and watered it, repotted it and left it without further watering on the more shady side of the conservatory and the colour gradually returned. When it was full of flower buds I took it back.
But this autumn I've had this colour change happen to just one of mine although they have all had the same conditions. It still looks the same but is now full of flower buds. It certainly wasn't caused by a change in conditions. Its a mystery.