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How and when to cut back hydrangeas


When to prune hydrangeas for best bloom

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Hydrangeas are one of the most popular blooming woody shrubs in Minnesota landscapes and, as you’d expect, people often ask how and when to prune these beloved shrubs.

Heading cuts redirect growth or shorten small branches. The high point of a heading cut should be about 1/4" above a bud.

Hydrangea paniculata, panicle hydrangea

Prune back stems to just above a fat bud — called a heading cut — in fall, late winter or spring. These plants have conical-shaped flower heads. I recommend leaving the dry, tan flower heads on the plant to provide some winter interest in your landscape, so I wait to prune these until late winter or spring. Some favorite panicle hydrangeas:

Hydrangea macrophylla, big leaf hydrangea This original Endless Summer inspired a large series of other H. macrophylla developed by Bailey Nurseries.

These plants produce buds in late summer to early fall (August-September) that will form next year’s flowers. So prune these shrubs after they finish blooming before August (again, make a heading cut).

An exception is the Endless Summer® The Original Bigleaf Hydrangea (H. macrophylla 'Bailmer' PP15,298) and other cultivars in the Endless Summer series from Bailey Nurseries such as Blushing Bride, BloomStruck® , Summer Crush®, and Twist ‘n’ Shout®.

The H. macrophylla bloom on last year’s wood and new wood that grows this year. So it will bloom whether you prune it or not. Protect H. macrophylla in winter from rabbit browsing on the stems with a large, 4-foot tall ring of hardware cloth.

The Endless Summer hydrangea made a huge splash on the Minnesota landscape plant scene because of its pink to blue color flowers (achievable with proper soil amendment) and because it blooms on old and new wood.

Hydrangea arborescens, smooth hydrangea

Let these plants grow a season or two before doing any serious "hard" pruning. Once the shrub is established and has a couple of growing seasons under its belt, prune these hydrangeas in the spring down to the ground, or not at all if you want a larger shrub. Flower buds will grow on this season’s growth or new wood.

Some favorite smooth hydrangeas: 

Hydrangea petolaris or climbing hydrangea

This tough, gnarly vine needs little to no pruning ever, except for removing any dead wood that develops.

Plant this vine in full sun on a solid trellis or fence where you want a long-living, dense screen. It is a dickens to get rid of once it gets established.

Hydrangea paniculata ‘Limelight’ Quick Fire® hydrangea. Notice the wall color matches the late summer bloom color. This was intentional! Annabelle, a tried-and-true fixture in Minnesota landscapes

Author: Julie Weisenhorn, Extension educator, horticulture

Reviewed by Debbie Lonnee, Product Development Manager, Bailey Nurseries.

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How to Prune Hydrangeas

Match the Pruning Method to the Species

By

Marie Iannotti

Marie Iannotti

Marie Iannotti is a life-long gardener and a veteran Master Gardener with nearly three decades of experience. She's also an author of three gardening books, a plant photographer, public speaker, and a former Cornell Cooperative Extension Horticulture Educator. Marie's garden writing has been featured in newspapers and magazines nationwide and she has been interviewed for Martha Stewart Radio, National Public Radio, and numerous articles.

Learn more about The Spruce's Editorial Process

Updated on 09/11/22

Reviewed by

Julie Thompson-Adolf

Reviewed by Julie Thompson-Adolf

Julie Thompson-Adolf is a master gardener and author. She has 13+ years of experience with year-round organic gardening; seed starting and saving; growing heirloom plants, perennials, and annuals; and sustainable and urban farming.

Learn more about The Spruce's Review Board

The Spruce

Project Overview

Hydrangeas make beautiful focal points in the garden, and they require minimal care other than pruning and fertilizing. Although many hydrangeas have interesting foliage and bark, most are grown for their large, showy blossoms. If hydrangeas don’t bloom for a season, it's usually due to one of three reasons: They didn't get enough sun, an early frost or cold spell killed the buds, or they were pruned at the wrong time. Learning how to prune your hydrangeas, whether is should be done in the summer or other months, can make the difference between a lush crop or lackluster output of blooms the next year.

In general, to prune hydrangeas in summer, you'll need to remove dead or crossing stems, cutting them close to the ground. To rejuvenate the hydrangea, remove up to one third of the older living stems down to the ground each summer. Keep in mind that buds for blooms are produced on old wood; thus, the more old wood you eliminate, the less beautiful the floral display will be during spring and summer.

How and when you prune hydrangeas varies according to the six different species of hydrangea commonly grown as garden plants. Thus, you'll need to know (or determine) what species you have in order to prune at the right time of year.

Tip

Can you deadhead hydrangeas in the summer? Yes, because deadheading spent flower heads will not harm the plant. Deadheading and pruning (removing more than just the flower head) hydrangeas are two different techniques.

When to Prune Hydrangeas

Like most woody flowering shrubs, when you prune a hydrangea depends on whether it blooms on new wood (growth produced in the current season) or old wood (growth from the previous season). In the case of hydrangeas, this is complicated by the fact that some species of hydrangea bloom on old wood, while others bloom on new wood.

Shrubs that bloom on new growth should be pruned in the late winter or early spring just before the critical new growth has started. This will maximize the amount of new growth and the number of flowers your shrub produces. Shrubs that bloom on old growth, on the other hand, should be pruned immediately after their flowers have faded. This gives the plant plenty of time to develop wood that will be "old" by the time the next season's flower buds emerge.

If you don't immediately know the type of hydrangea you own, it's relatively easy to determine it based on simple observation of its leaves and flowering pattern.

When to Prune Different Types of Hydrangeas
Category Blooms on old or new wood When to prune
Bigleaf hydrangea Old Immediately after flowers fade
Smooth (wild) hydrangea New Late winter or early spring before new growth starts
Panicle (peegee) hydrangea New Light pruning in late winter or early spring
Oakleaf hydrangea Old Summer after the flowers fade
Mountain hydrangea Old Immediately after flowering
Climbing hydrangea Old Winter or early spring, only when necessary to control size

14 Beautiful Types of Hydrangea to Grow

Before Getting Started

In general, flowering woody shrubs that bloom on new wood tolerate, or even thrive on, fairly aggressive pruning, while those that bloom on old wood require more careful restrained pruning. This is especially true of hydrangeas. The two species that bloom on new wood—panicle (peegee) hydrangeas and smooth (wild) hydrangeas—do well with an aggressive annual pruning that removes as much as one-third to one-half of the total mass of the shrub. The four species that flower on old wood—bigleaf, oakleaf, mountain, and climbing hydrangeas—may not need pruning at all, except when you are pruning to keep their size or shape in check.

Watch Now: How to Prune Hydrangeas

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How to Prune Bigleaf Hydrangea (H. macrophylla)

Bigleaf hydrangeas are one of the species that bloom on old wood, meaning they set their flower buds from late summer to early fall. Thus, if you mistakenly prune in the spring or even late fall, it will remove the flower buds and any chance of getting blooms for a year. Bigleaf hydrangeas actually do fairly well without any pruning at all, but if necessary to control its shape or size, do the pruning carefully just after the flowers have faded, never removing more than one-third of their total growth.

The Spruce / Almar Creative

  1. Deadhead Spent Flowers

    Spent flowers can be trimmed away as they fade to keep the plant looking tidy. Simply clip away the blooms using bypass pruners.

  2. Prune Away Dead and Weak Stems

    When most of the flowers have faded, it's time for pruning. Begin by pruning away stems that are clearly dead or weak. But don’t prune all the old wood because this is what will keep flowering as the new growth matures.

  3. Prune for Size

    If your hydrangea has outgrown its space and you need to prune it, you can prune away select branches to curtail its size. Prune away select branches all the way to ground level or to a main stem, but make sure to retain some healthy branches to avoid losing all the flowers. A bigleaf hydrangea can be pruned back by one-third of its total mass, but harsher pruning will weaken the shrub and cause it to languish for a season or two.

    Tip

    Bigleaf hydrangea is the variety most susceptible to winter bud injury. If you live in an area with severe winters, you might need to offer it some protection. Tying the branches together and wrapping them with burlap can help the plant survive winter. Remove the burlap when the buds begin to swell.

How to Prune Smooth Hydrangea (H. arborescens)

Smooth hydrangea, including the popular cultivars H. arborescens 'Grandiflora,' 'Annabelle', and 'Incrediball', doesn't usually have any problems blooming, though its white flowers aren't as showy as we normally expect from hydrangeas. It's a round shrub with leaves that are somewhat rounded with a pointed end, paler on the underside than on the top. Blooming on new wood, smooth hydrangea does well with fairly aggressive pruning.

The Spruce / Letícia Almeida

  1. Remove Dead or Injured Branches

    This shrub blooms on new wood, so pruning should be done in early spring to ensure plenty of growth for flowers. Begin by removing any branches that have been injured or killed over the winter. These branches should be removed back to the main stem or even to ground level.

  2. Trim for Shape

    Additional branches can be lightly trimmed to shape the plant and retain its rounded shape. This kind of light pruning produces a large shrub with many small flower heads. "Light trimming" in this case means removing as much as one-third of each stem's length.

  3. Prune Hard for Large Flowers

    Hard pruning of a smooth hydrangea ( 12 to 18 inches from the ground) often creates a shrub that produces fewer, but much larger flower heads. These flowers may be so large that they require propping.

How to Prune Panicle (Peegee) Hydrangea (H. Paniculata)

Also known as peegee hydrangea, panicle hydrangeas produce football or cone-shaped flower clusters in mid-to-late summer. The flowers start out white, cream, or green and slowly turn pink, drying and remaining on the plant long after the leaves have fallen. Panicle hydrangea blooms on new wood; it accepts—and even prefers—fairly heavy pruning.

  1. Deadhead Spent Flowers

    During the growing season, you can deadhead the flowers (remove spent flowers) as they fade. This often helps prolong the bloom season as the plant puts more energy into continued blooming.

  2. Prune Lightly to Maintain Shape

    As soon as the flowers become unattractive, clean up the overall shape of the plant with selected pruning of branches that spoil the shrub's aesthetics. Panicle hydrangea makes for an attractive shrub even after flowering is complete.

  3. Do Hard Pruning in Late Winter or Early Spring

    Flower buds occur on new spring growth with this shrub. Some hard pruning of individual stems in late winter or early spring not only will keep the plant from becoming overgrown but also will encourage healthy growth and flowers. Panicle hydrangeas can be pruned by 1/3 of their total mass without damage to the plant. This is best done by pruning out smaller wood all the way to ground level, leaving only the larger stems—which can also be partly trimmed back if needed to maintain size.

    How to Prune Mountain Hydrangeas

    Mountain hydrangeas are small flowering shrubs with narrow, pointed leaves and flattened flower heads. This plant is sometimes confused with Hydrangea macrophylla because of their similar flowers. However, this type doesn't have the big leaves of Hydrangea macrophylla. Pruning should be done cautiously—or not at all, if not required to control the shrub's shape. Blooming occurs on old wood, and the plant's pruning needs are minimal.

  4. Remove Dead or Dying Stems in Early Spring

    Any dead or winter-damaged stems can be removed all the way to ground level with pruners in early spring, before new growth has started

  5. Prune for Shape

    If major pruning is necessary, wait until the shrub has finished flowering to trim back stems to a pair of healthy buds, using bypass pruners. This is not a shrub that always requires annual pruning.

How to Prune Climbing Hydrangeas

The stunning climbing hydrangea is the type you see slowly making its way up a tree or other support. Rather than a classic shrub, it is a woody vine and it normally requires little to no pruning except to control its size. This plant flowers on old wood grown during the previous season, so any major pruning you do should be done immediately after the plant flowers.

  1. Prune to Control Size

    Once climbing hydrangeas become established, they can grow quite vigorously and might need occasional hard pruning to set boundaries for the coming season. Do this pruning immediately after the plant flowers. Most flowers occur at the top of these plants, so side trimming will have less impact on the plant's appearance.

  2. Special Pruning to Rejuvenate a Neglected Plant

    Neglected, overgrown vines can be cut back to ground level in early spring to rejuvenate the plant. However, you can expect this to reduce flowering fairly dramatically for one or two seasons.

How to Prune Oakleaf Hydrangeas (H. quercifolia)

Oakleaf hydrangea is easily recognized by its oak leaf-shaped foliage. Because its major attraction is the foliage, any loss of blooms is less disappointing than in most other hydrangea varieties. Oakleaf hydrangea flowers on old wood and major pruning should occur immediately after it has finished flowering. Be somewhat cautious when pruning an oakleaf hydrangea—prune is done to control size or shape, not to stimulate new growth.

The Spruce / Adrienne Legault

  1. Prune Out Winter Dieback

    Inspect your shrub in the early spring before growth has begun. If your shrub has experienced winter dieback, prune the stems back to below the point of injury. Further pruning should wait until the plant has finished flowering.

  2. Prune for Shape

    Oakleaf hydrangea blooms on old growth, so any hard pruning that's required should be done immediately after it has finished flowering. Use sharp bypass pruners to remove branches that interfere with the desired shape of the shrub. This variety is not fond of heavy pruning, so never remove more than one-third of the plant's total mass, and don't feel obliged to prune at all unless it is essential to maintain the plant's size or shape. Cut selected stems back to just above the point where they meet the main stems.

How to Dry and Preserve Hydrangea Flowers

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The Spruce uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read our editorial process to learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.

  1. Guide to Pruning Hydrangeas. University of Maryland Extension

Proper hydrangea pruning: the subtleties and nuances of

Lush and proud hydrangea, pleasing to the eye with its luxurious flowers, can decorate any garden. But in order for the bush to look aesthetic and attractive, it needs periodic pruning.

We will tell you when and how to do it, how spring pruning differs from autumn pruning, and how best to do this procedure in autumn.

Timing and types of hydrangea pruning

Hydrangea pruning is carried out both in spring and autumn. Spring is the time for cardinal haircuts and the formation of a bush. And at the end of the season, when nature falls asleep, and the plants are preparing for winter, there is no need to radically cut hydrangeas. Now it is important for us to thin out the bush and free it from diseased, dried and improperly growing shoots. nine0003

Autumn pruning is carried out late, usually after leaf fall, because in September the plant changes color and is as beautiful and charming as in summer.

There are several types of correct pruning for hydrangeas.

  1. Traditional annual pruning in order to obtain a stronger and more abundantly flowering plant.
  2. Formative pruning, which allows you to give the bush the desired configuration and optimally position the skeletal branches.
    3. nine0017 Sanitary cleaning, which is the removal of old and damaged shoots, dry inflorescences.
  3. Finally, the rejuvenation of hydrangeas with cardinal pruning, which is carried out on aging or badly damaged bushes.

Features of autumn pruning of hydrangeas

Although the main part of the work takes place in the spring, pruning of hydrangeas in the autumn is also obligatory. It is needed in order to divide all the work on the formation and improvement of the plant into two periods. In this case, the hydrangea will endure the entire procedure safely. nine0003

When pruning hydrangeas in autumn, you need to pay attention to old, damaged branches, as well as those that grow inside the bush. They are removed, but young shoots are not touched in the fall. Also, shoots are cut almost to the ground, which for some reason were broken in the summer.

The air temperature during this period should be plus 5-10 degrees. For different regions, this is the beginning - the end of October.

The further north the region is located, the more gentle pruning of the plant should be in autumn, since hydrangea does not like severe frosts, and shortened branches will be less protected from cold temperatures. This is especially true of large-leaved hydrangea, which is thermophilic. The remaining species are considered relatively frost-resistant. nine0003

Important! It is not customary (especially in cold regions) to carry out autumn pruning of the plant for the first three years, since the seedling needs strength to withstand and survive the adverse winter conditions. During this period, only forced sanitary cleaning is done.

In the southern regions in autumn, you can act more decisively with the expectation of the next year. Experts believe that in warm climates, autumn pruning is even more preferable.

All varieties of hydrangeas have their own specifics for autumn pruning. nine0003

Peculiarities of hydrangea pruning by species

All varieties of hydrangeas have their own specifics of autumn pruning.

  1. Paniculata hydrangea. The shrub blooms on the shoots of the current year, so don't be afraid to accidentally cut off a branch with flower buds. In autumn, you need to remove flower stalks, cut off dry and lodging branches.
  2. Tree hydrangea. This species also blooms on the current year's shoots. The rules of the autumn haircut coincide with the pruning of the paniculate hydrangea. It is necessary to remove flower stalks, cut out dubious, broken and dry branches. nine0018

Let's dwell separately on pruning large-leaved hydrangea. The haircut of this beauty in the fall should be carried out carefully, remembering that she blooms on the shoots of last year. That is, right now we can accidentally cut off all the future beauty.

All the large-leaved hydrangea needs now is the removal of peduncles and unproductive branches. It is necessary to cut out all damaged and dry shoots, because in snowy winters they quickly break and injure the bush. If the branches grow inward or cross, they are also removed. nine0003

In northern regions, hydrangeas should be covered after pruning. How to do it right - we will tell in the following publications. In the meantime, we invite you to look at the hydrangeas in our assortment. Large-leaved, paniculate, tree-like, oak-leaved - the choice is very large! The seedlings are delivered in containers and are well tolerated by shipping. Author: Oksana Artemenko0002 Share with friends:

terms, principles, rules and a detailed video from our specialist.

Hydrangea is a versatile shrub that many have been growing in the garden for decades, but not everyone knows how to properly prune hydrangeas, whether the techniques depend on the species, and what time of the year is best to devote time to this process.

Many people ask the question: is it necessary to cut the hydrangea?

If in all the years of the existence of this shrub on your site you have never approached it with a pruner, then we can say with all confidence that you have never seen this particular variety in all its glory! It is the correct pruning that helps abundant flowering, prevents the inflorescences from shrinking and provokes the correct development of the crown. With timely top dressing and good watering, the very next year after pruning, you literally won’t recognize your hydrangea and will be able to feel all the magic of transformation! nine0003

When should hydrangeas be pruned?

Like all fruit or ornamental crops, hydrangea will require attention at a time when the plant has already prepared for winter or when it has not yet had time to wake up after it. There are many opinions about the correct timing for such events, but we recommend pruning twice: in the fall and in the spring. At the end of the summer season, there are already a lot of worries, but it still makes sense to allocate quite a bit of time for your favorite shrub, because in winter, under a decent weight of snow cover, fragile shoots can break or even break. Even if the shrub does not die (and this is possible), then its decorative effect can be seriously affected. Therefore, we make gentle pruning in the fall, and when the snow melts, even before the start of sap flow, we will carefully correct our own sections or even cut them into a kidney. It is worth mentioning that some people prefer not to cut, but tightly tie the shoots together for the winter, but this is done, as a rule, so that the shoots cut off in the spring can be used as cuttings for propagating shrubs. nine0003

Which types of hydrangea should be pruned in autumn and spring?

Only those that bloom on the shoots of the current year. They definitely do not include most varieties of large-leaved hydrangea, which grows twigs for a whole season, so that next year they will be crowned with unearthly beauty inflorescences. By making an autumn or spring pruning of shoots that have not yet bloomed, you will not destroy them, but you will only wait for flowering in a season. Paniculate, tree-like, oak-leaved and rough hydrangeas can be pruned every year, forming a crown and stimulating the growth of new shoots. nine0003

Hydrangea pruning in autumn

When the leaves on the shrub have already turned yellow, or maybe they have fallen off, when the charming inflorescences have begun to dry out, changing color to brownish - it's time to take up the pruner! Tree hydrangea pruning, like panicle hydrangea pruning, has the same principle, despite the fact that these species have a different bush shape and grow according to their own rules. It is important to understand the essence of the process. We simply shorten the shoots to the second, third, fourth or even fifth bud from the base, regardless of whether it grows from a branch or directly from the ground, like a tree hydrangea. The main nuances to consider when pruning hydrangeas: nine0003

- we form a neat hemispherical shape of the shrub, for which it is possible to cut the outer shoots a little shorter than those that come out of the middle of the crown;

- it is best to do autumn pruning for 3-4 buds, so that in the spring, in case of damage to the shoot, it would be possible to cut the branch stronger;

- Quite often, at the very base of tree-like hydrangeas, you can see one or even two buds very close to each other. We count the buds for pruning the shoot already above, without taking them into account. Having made a strong pruning of the shrub, we risk waking up these low buds, and then from the very base a strong thickening of the crown can result, which will negatively affect both the health and the decorative effect of the hydrangea. nine0003

- if the declared height of the hydrangea bush of your chosen variety is from two to four meters, then the distances between the buds will be large (from 10 to 20 centimeters), which means that pruning can be done on the third, and if necessary, on the second kidney. True, do not forget that adjusting the bush in the spring will be more difficult to do if there are too few buds left.

We have prepared a video of pruning hydrangeas in the fall for clarity, and after watching it, you definitely should not have any questions on this topic. nine0003

YouTube video: Hydrangea pruning: timing and rules

In this publication, we have analyzed in detail how to properly cut a hydrangea so that it only pleases with its beauty from year to year, attracting not only your attention, but also the enthusiastic looks of your guests. In fact, if you do not prune this shrub every year, nothing bad will happen to it. The most important thing is to plant in acidified soil, fertilize from time to time and ensure abundant watering. You can buy hydrangea seedlings directly in our online store or choose the variety you like on the trading floor of our garden center in the Moscow region. nine0003

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