Prune Hydrangea Bushes Hydrangea Pruning Instructions

To get bigger flowers, cut them all the way back In late winter or early spring, these shrubs can be cut all the way back to the ground. Smooth hydrangeas will produce much larger blooms if pruned hard like this each year, but many gardeners opt for smaller blooms on sturdier stems.

How far back do I cut hydrangeas?
What month should I prune my hydrangea?
When should you not cut back hydrangeas?
Should hydrangeas be cut back for winter?
Will hydrangeas grow back if cut down?
How do you prune hydrangeas in the spring?
How can I tell if my hydrangea blooms on old or new wood?
How do you prepare hydrangeas for winter?
What happens if you don't deadhead hydrangeas?
How do you prune hydrangeas in the fall?
When should hydrangeas be pruned UK?

How far back do I cut hydrangeas?

To rejuvenate the hydrangea, remove up to 1/3 of the older living stems down to the ground each summer. This will revitalize the plant. If necessary to control the size of the plant, cut back before late July to allow for buds to develop. Usually the plant will return immediately to its former size.

What month should I prune my hydrangea?

Prune in late winter and early spring. Prune as far back as you want right above the first leaf joints. It will grow from that point onward, getting larger each year. Read more about pruning hydrangeas, and learn whether your shrub blooms on old or new growth in “Pruning Hydrangeas” by Janet Carson.

When should you not cut back hydrangeas?

If it blooms on old wood (stems from the summer before the current one), its buds are being formed, and if you wait too late you may cut them off, meaning no flowers next spring. So these shrubs should be pruned immediately after their flowers fade.

Should hydrangeas be cut back for winter?

1. To get bigger flowers, cut them all the way back. In late winter or early spring, these shrubs can be cut all the way back to the ground. Smooth hydrangeas will produce much larger blooms if pruned hard like this each year, but many gardeners opt for smaller blooms on sturdier stems.

Will hydrangeas grow back if cut down?

You can take a more relaxed attitude about pruning if you have hydrangeas that set flower buds on current season wood, like panicle and smooth hydrangeas. ... Even if you cut canes back to ground level during dormancy, the shrubs will grow back and produce blooms in spring.

How do you prune hydrangeas in the spring?

Wait to prune your bigleaf hydrangeas until new growth appears in the spring. Make pruning cuts one quarter inch above the first set of live buds. Hint: stems with live buds will be green on the inside, while dead stems will be brown. Entirely dead stems should be cut flush to the base.

How can I tell if my hydrangea blooms on old or new wood?

Old wood is quite simply, last year's wood. Hydrangeas that bloom on old wood set their flower buds in late summer on stalks that have been on the plant since the previous year. Hydrangeas that bloom on old wood include the mophead, bigleaf (macrophylla), lacecap and oakleaf varieties.

How do you prepare hydrangeas for winter?

Mulch Matters

Weird winters with little snowfall and drastic temperature swings are detrimental to plants. To give hydrangeas their best chance at success, apply a layer of chunky mulch around the base of the plant. Decorative mulch is helpful but we recommend straw, marsh hay, or fallen leaves.

What happens if you don't deadhead hydrangeas?

No need to worry – this is simply a sign that it's time to remove the flowers, a process called deadheading. When you deadhead hydrangeas, you aren't harming the plants at all. Removing the spent blooms triggers flowering shrubs to stop producing seeds and instead put their energy toward root and foliage development.

How do you prune hydrangeas in the fall?

Cut the dead stumps down to their base to completely remove them. This will allow the new growth underneath to have a chance to succeed. Dead and old blooms need to be removed to make room for new buds to come through. Cut the flower head off right above the first few leaves to encourage blooms for the next summer.

When should hydrangeas be pruned UK?

Almost all hydrangeas should be pruned in late winter or early spring, with the exception being the climbing hydrangea which is pruned after flowering in summer. Before you start hacking back your shrub you first need to identify which type of hydrangea you have in your garden.