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Not to disagree with Flaptail, but what he said is simply not true. Hydrangeas thrive in acidic soil, like that of Cape Cod. In fact, the more acidic, the more brilliant the colors of the blooms and the healthier the plants. If the soil is more base, you will get pinkish blooms and as the acid level increases, the color will change to the typical purples and blues most strive for. Aluminum Sulfate is often added to the soil in areas where the soil is normally base in order to get the purples and blues more brilliant. The aluminum ions "trick"the plant into thinking it's in very acid soil. Also, hydrangeas don't really ever need to be pruned. To do so, you may cause the plant to stop flowering forever.
The best way to take care of them is to remove any dead stems, leaves and shoots at the end of the growing season and then cover the base of the plant with a thick pile of mulch to protect the roots during winter. Some people take this a step further and actually build small frames around the plants and cover the entire plant with layers of leaves to help protect them from freezing. Normally, winter snows help insulate plants' root systems from the cold, but last winter's relatively dry and very cold weather may have done-in a lot of plants. I know I lost some very old Rose of Sharon plants to "winter-kill" last year.
Lastly, you may simply have the wrong hydrangeas for the area you live in. Some varieties are more tolerant of cold than others and with over 100 different varieties of hydrangea, it's quite possible yours just aren't up to snuff. There's a new variety called "endless summer" that was specifically bred to thrive in New England's harsher and colder climates and it has brilliant blooms from late June through September. You may want to see if your local garden center can get some for you and start from scratch.
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