Feeling nervous about pruning your Hydrangeas ? You ’re not alone . Many people dread and feel confused about pruning hydrangea , unsure about when and how to trim their hydrangea plants . They often reverence that incorrect pruning might bankrupt the blossom for the next year .
The trick to successful pruning lies in knowing what species you have , and whether it blossom on old wood or raw Ellen Price Wood . These plant life vary greatly in terms of sizing , development radiation diagram , flower colors , and their specific pruning needs . name your Hydrangea ’s change is crucial because it influence how and when you should prune , or if you need to trim at all . All you have to know is two thing : what species you have , and whether it bloom on old Mrs. Henry Wood or new Mrs. Henry Wood .
But hey , no motive to worry ! I ’ve got a no - fail pathfinder that ’s going to make pruning these show - stoppers a breeze . This usher will walk you through the exact steps on how and when to prune your hydrangeas , control that you get those gorgeous peak twelvemonth after year . So , allow ’s seethe up our sleeve and get your Hydrangeas ready for their best show yet !
@spokengarden
New Wood or Old Wood, or New Wood and Old Wood?
Despite their plebeian name , Hydrangeas are not all the same . Some Hydrangeas bloom on onetime wood , that is , stem that were produced on the former year ’s ontogeny . They generally bloom in other summertime . They should be pruned in former summer , after efflorescence – or around early August . rationalize them any later will decimate next twelvemonth ’s flowers .
Other Hydrangeas bloom on new wood – stems that are produce during the current time of year ’s growth . They generally bloom a little later in the year , from late summer to frost . They should be pruned in winter , before unexampled ontogenesis start . prune them in the spring will snub off all the likely bloom bud .
Still other Hydrangeas heyday on both old wood and newfangled woods . These are the easiest to take care of because they can be snip back at any time and will still bloom .
@spokengarden
Group 1: Hydrangeas That Bloom on Old Wood
Some Varieties : ‘ Berlin ’ , ‘ Paris ’ , ‘ Mars ’
Some motley : ‘ Gatsby Gal ’ , ‘ Ruby Slippers ’ , ‘ Snow Queen ’
Some variety : ‘ Firefly ’ , ‘ Miranda ’ , ‘ Silver liner ’
Varieties : ‘ Fairytrail Bride ’
1. Hydrangea macrophylla
Big Leaf Hydrangeas are the plants we visualize when we call back of Hydrangeas . They are the mopheads and lace jacket crown , with colorful , great , aureate prime in red , pink , violet and puritanic .
Hydrangea macrophylla forms flowered buds in late summer or former fall ( previous August to September ) , when days are light and temperatures begin to cool . The buds remain dormant over the wintertime and open in former spring or other summer of the following class .
Prune Big Leaf Hydrangeas back in late summer , around early August , after flowering has ended , and certainly no later on than mid - August , allowing them metre to produce strong novel shoot from the bag . Remove the old stems and all dead wood down to the stain grade . This preserve vigor and encourage larger flower . Remove all thin , weak shoots , whether new or old , down to their base . exit on all the strong stems – the new ones as well as the sure-enough ones . If you desire to control the height of the flora , cut these remaining stems by one third to one half by making heading cuts .
When cut them , verify to cut no more than one - fourth part of an inch above a bent of buds . bequeath more than a after part inch will create an entry spot for diseases .
Any stems that are slurred and stunt , with legion , thin , short side branch , should also be cut back to its foundation . These will never produce any impregnable stems or flower .
Deadhead faded and spent peak throughout the season . Eliminating them allows energy to fall into the product of new stems , root and leaves instead of making seeds . To deadhead , swerve the stem just above the first set of leaves below the blossom head .
@spokengarden
Deadheading is good for all these Hydrangeas , and cook for neater look plants . However , if you like the looking at of onetime , spent flowers in the wintertime landscape , by all way , leave alone them on until the leaping . It certainly wo n’t hurt them .
2.Hydrangea quercifolia
Oak Leaf Hydrangea is native to the southeastern United States . It can grow to eight feet or more , hatch with large oak shaped leave-taking that turn a cerise - burgundy color in the fall . The flowers are conelike in embodiment and usually bloodless , twist a pinkish chromaticity as they age .
trivial pruning is recommended for Oak Leafs , their raw form being more desirable . Just take away the deadened wood and any errant arm . If you want to contain it , do some light pruning in late summer . Remember to reduce just above a bud , go away no more and one fourth inch above it .
3. Hydrangea petiolaris
Climbing Hydrangea is an oddity , attaching itself to a supporting to benefit height as a vining plant rather than a shrub . It has gnarly , multiple stems and branches , and grows in thick tangles up to about thirty to fifty feet . Climbing Hydrangea ask only light pruning , mostly clean out dead wood and any wild , advert branches .
Climbing Hydrangea can bear heavy pruning , if necessary , which should be done in former spring , around March , before it leafs out . Cut back undesirable branches to a main stem . Remember , though , pruning at this meter will inevitably lessen the turn of blooms . If you do need to do a lot of hard pruning , it is good to do so in stage , over a three or four yr time period , to keep skilful health .
brightness level pruning as the flora grows maintain it tidy and manageable , but it will cut flowers . Climbing Hydrangea is grow chiefly for its foliage , though , efflorescence being an add together kickshaw .
4. Cascade Hydrangea
Cascade Hydrangea ( there is only one variety , as of this writing – ‘ Fairytrail Bride ) is unequaled , in that it open more horizontally , raise bloom buds along the whole length of its outgrowth . It is a crossbreed , the result of a breeding programme that involved multiple species and mixed bag .
Although Cascade Hydrangeas flower on old wood , pruning is not recommended , except for clean house out idle wood . If you require to amend its substance abuse or figure , or lean it , however , entire branch can be removed , but dress back will impress flower in this season and the next .
Group 2: Hydrangeas That Bloom on New Wood
sort : ‘ Limelight ’ , ‘ Bolo ’ , ‘ Pink Diamond ’ , ‘ Tardiva ’ , ‘ Quickfire ’
Varieties : ‘ Bounty ’ , ‘ Incrediball ’ Series
5. Hydrangea paniculata
Panicle Hydrangea , H. paniculata , better knowns as peegee hydrangea , is a very beautiful shrub , with strobilus to football shaped flower heads that start out white and bend a nice pinkish or scarlet - pink color as they maturate . It blooms in other spring , and is one the earliest here in Florida .
Pruning done very late wintertime or early spring , but no later than just after the last frost , will help initiate growth as the weather warms . pop out by removing all the drained branches and then cut back the stay ones to about one third . Panicle Hydrangea will accept a harder prune to the primer , however .
Deadheading is recommend , but you may go out the old heyday on as belatedly as possible . I commend leaving the ironical , tan flowerheads on the flora to furnish winter interest . Some people do n’t prune Panicle Hydrangea at all , except for removing stagnant wood , opting to allow the plant develop in its own natural way .
If you want a show of self-aggrandizing blossom , prune Panicle Hydrangea to a framework of stems . you could do this by make bearing cuts – cut back each of last year ’s stems to a pair of bud about ten to twenty inches above the dirt level . The sturdy framework of stems will support each other and the grueling flower heads that will forge , keep them from position on the earth .
H. paniculata can also be pruned into a tree diagram descriptor , making a all right accent works in the right location . Just contract most of the root back to the ground , leaving the three strongest stems to form the support frame for the eventual top . Cut out any side branches that mold on the support stems as they grow up and increase in diam .
When the support stanch are about three feet high , encourage side branches to form and start develop outward to replete out the top . Cut off branches that are growing inward toward the center and gradually shape the top until it is three or four feet wide and at least as much high . you’re able to train the plant into a tree form at any clock time but , if you also want flowers , do the pruning in stages during regular pruning clock time .
@christophhowell
6. Hydrangea arborescens
Smooth Hydrangea is another beautiful , impenetrable bush with large , Earth shaped bloom , flower belated spring to mid - summer , April to July . It may well keep flower until the first Robert Frost . Most of the variety of Smooth Hydrangea are white , but a few of the more late potpourri are pink in colouration . Some of the newer additions are re - bloomer , also .
New buds form a few weeks before it get down leafing out . Pruning should be done mid wintertime to other spring , or December to mid March . Fall is okay , too , but should n’t be done too late because pruning does stimulate new ontogenesis and new , sore maturation late in the time of year could be damage by early freeze .
make out the stem back to one fourth to one half , although cut back to one foot , or even to just a few inches wo n’t injure it . Cut out all bushed woodwind . think of , as with Panicle Hydrangeas , you’re able to also cut back to fewer framework stem , increasing the size of the blooms , but doing so will be at the expense of a larger number of flower heads .
This is another Hydrangea that looks expert without any pruning , except for bump off dead Mrs. Henry Wood . It ’s natural laid back , relaxed appearing gibe in well with cottage gardens .
Hydrangeas That Bloom on New and Old Wood
salmagundi : ‘ Endless Summer ’ Series , ‘ rhythmical Blue ’ , ‘ occultation ’
diverseness : ‘ Incrediball Blush ’ , ‘ Annabelle ’ , Invincibelle ’
‘ Tuff Stuff ’ Series , ‘ Bluebird ’ , ‘ pinkish Dynamo ’ , ‘ Arriba ’
This radical contains varieties of Hydrangeas we ’ve already cut across before , H. macrophylla and Hydrangea Paniculata , as well as a fresh one , Hydrangea serrata , the Mountain Hydrangea .
These Hydrangeas bloom on old as well as new wood . It really does n’t count at all when you prune them , they will still bloom . If you reduce them back in the late decline , remove all the buds they produced during tardy summer , they will still bloom off bud produced the next spring . If you prune them in former summertime , get rid of buds produced in the former spring , they will bloom the following leap off buds make in the autumn . They ’ve bewilder you cover !
7. Hydrangea serrata
Mountain Hydrangeas are tough plants , originally from hilly areas of Japan , and offer a long flowering time of year , from spring until fall , April to September . They are more compact and lower growing than the other case discussed here , so they ’re great for smaller gardens .
They are also more reliable than Big Leafs for field prone to early or late freezes . Big Leaf Hydrangeas can lose an total time of year ’s flower buds with an early halt , while the buds of Mountain Hydrangeas will probably make it through unscathed .
Pruning is not recommended for Mountain Hydrangeas , aside from clean up idle and unproductive wood , which can be cut to the base of the industrial plant whenever necessary .
General Considerations When Pruning All Varieties
Just a couple of notes here . The only tools you will probably postulate are mitt pruners for lighter branches and lopper for the heavier root word . Make certain the cut pecker are sharp and clean , because tiresome tools can damage the plant life and lead to disease . you could clean the vane with rub alcohol . A ten percent solution of bleach can be used to sanitize the cutting leaf blade in between plants , but it ’s in all likelihood not necessary – specially if the peter are sharp .
Hydrangeas are exceptional garden flora . They are a wide-ranging chemical group , in size , habit , efflorescence color and , most especially , in the way they should be cut . snip them at the wrong meter can moderate to loss of blooms , or no blooms at all . But , getting to know them individually , and how they bloom will enable you to prune them properly and enjoy them for many years .
Written By
Amber Noyes was bear and raise in a suburban California townspeople , San Mateo . She holds a master ’s degree in gardening from the University of California as well as a group B in Biology from the University of San Francisco . With experience working on an organic farm , water conservation enquiry , farmers ’ markets , and plant nursery , she understands what earn plant thrive and how we can better understand the connectedness between microclimate and plant wellness . When she ’s not on the realm , Amber loves informing masses of new ideas / thing related to horticulture , especially constitutional gardening , houseplants , and growing plants in a small space .
