Home » Misc » Time to prune hydrangeas

Time to prune hydrangeas


When to prune hydrangeas for best bloom

  1. Home
  2. Yard and garden
  3. Yard and Garden News
  4. When to prune hydrangeas for best bloom

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.

Related topics: Yard and Garden News Featured news

Share this page:

Page survey

Pruning Hydrangeas: How to Prune Hydrangea Bushes

Learn when and how to prune your hydrangea plants for best bloom results.

Pictured: Let's Dance® Blue Jangles®. Photo by: Proven Winners.

The first step of pruning hydrangeas is to identify the variety, as this determines how, when, and even if it needs pruning. There are 2 main groups of hydrangeas:

Group 1: Those that bloom on last year's growth, or old wood, and should be pruned in late summer:

Group 2: Those that bloom on new growth, or new wood, and should be pruned in late winter to early spring:

There are also new varieties called "reblooming" or "remontant" that bloom on both old and new wood. These types don't require pruning at all, just maintenance for plant health such as cutting out dead, diseased, damaged or crossing branches.

HOW TO PRUNE HYDRANGEAS

The timing and degree of pruning is determined by which group the plant belongs to:

Pruning Advice for Group 1:

Pruning Advice for Group 2:

Flower head size can be related to pruning. With more aggressive pruning, shoots will be more vigorous and flower heads will be larger and fewer. Less aggressive or tip pruning can result in smaller but more numerous flower heads.

The best advice for hydrangeas is to consider their mature size. Locate them in an area they won't outgrow and require heavy pruning to keep them in bounds. Hydrangeas do not require strict reqular pruning; simply keep them healthy by removing dead wood and they will grow and flower well.

Wee Bit Grumpy® bigleaf hydrangea.
Photo: Proven Winners.

DON'T WANT TO WORRY ABOUT PRUNING YOUR HYDRANGEAS?

If the thought of trying to figure out if your hydrangea blooms on old wood or new wood (or both!) sounds daunting, try planting bigleaf hydrangeas from Proven Winners.

"We select all of our big-leaf hydrangeas for a nice, rounded, compact form, so they don’t require pruning to look handsome and tidy." All they ask is that you clean up any remaining flowers from the previous year when new growth begins in spring.

TOOLS FOR PRUNING HYDRANGEAS

You don't need anything fancy for pruning hydrangeas, just a good pair of bypass pruners. We recommend bypass pruners because the blades overlap, making a clean cut that is much healthier for live plants. (Anvil-style pruners should only be used on dead wood as they can crush and damage branches.)

Also see: 12 Essential Garden Tools

MORE ON HYDRANGEAS

Hydrangeas: Growing & Care

Types of Hydrangeas

Changing Hydrangea Color

How to Fertilize Hydrangeas

White Hydrangeas

8 Reasons Hydrangeas Won't Bloom

RELATED:
How to Prune Roses
How to Prune Shrubs & Perennials

Updated: 4/8/21

90,000 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

Share on social networks:

Site geoplastics: what is it, why is it needed and the technology for its creation

09/23/2019 Articles

Read previous article

Hydrangea care in autumn

11/24/2019Articles

Read next article

12/26/2022 Articles

Choosing plants according to the sign of the zodiac for your favorite garden

What is useful to plant on your site for hot rams, and what about creative fish?

We have compiled a selection of mascot plants for each zodiac sign. nine0003

Come see your

Read more

12/21/2022 Articles

Plants-record holders of our planet: interesting facts about plants

A selection of plants that may surprise you. What grass is considered the tallest in the world? Which plant can ride on the river? And what flower has only two copies left on the planet? nine0003

We have prepared for you a selection of plants that lead the top lists according to various criteria. Come be surprised!

Read more

20.12.2022 Articles

Actual colors of 2023 in garden landscaping

In this article, we will analyze what to focus on and how to apply trendy colors in garden design

Read more

nine0036 07. 12.2022 Articles

Deciduous ornamental garden trees with a compact crown

Planning a small area is an art. What to do when you want to place buildings, a garden, and a beautiful recreation area with familiar deciduous plants? Choose the right varieties.

In this article, we will talk about which seedlings of ornamental plants to choose for a compact plot and how best to place them. nine0003

Read more

11/21/2022 Articles

Derain in landscape design: the best varieties and applications

Charming turf is a plant that can be recommended to every gardener. The shrub is loved for its unpretentiousness, varietal diversity and the unique color of the bark and leaves. In this article, we tell you which sod to choose and where to plant it

Read more

Subscribe to the news:
90,000 pruning of hydrangeas - how correctly

Content ✓

The type of hydrangea determines the method and time of pruning, chosen so as not to cut off the flower buds. All types of hydrangeas can be divided into two groups. The first group includes those that bloom on the shoots of last year.

They don't really need shaping pruning, cosmetic and sanitary intervention is quite enough.

This group includes hydrangea large-leaved, serrate, Sargent, oak-leaved and petiolate . However, be careful: in some varieties of each species, flowers are laid differently than in the rest of its representatives. nine0003

All that is necessary for this article is here >>>

Read also: growing hydrangea (photo) Types and varieties

Smiling and tree -like hydrangea

Group of hydrangeas, blooming on new growths, forms the buds, forms the buds, which grow and bloom in one year, usually blooming later than other hydrangeas - from mid-summer to the first frost. They do not suffer too much if pruning is not done at a certain time; it is not done only in late spring, early summer and when the buds are still open. This group includes paniculate and tree hydrangeas. nine0003

Hydrangea paniculata is the most demanded in horticultural culture. Last year's shoots annually form new flowering branches, which are not always strong, so they cut out everything superfluous from an adult plant. To form a shrub, paniculata hydrangeas are allowed to grow with the help of zero shoots. Weak branches coming out of the ground are cut out, leaving stronger ones to bloom.

Our advice

General sanitary pruning is carried out in early spring, before bud break. If cut later, the plant may get sick and not even bloom this year. Weak and interfering shoots are removed at the root. Anti-aging pruning is carried out by cutting branches into perennial wood or "stump". nine0003

Timing for pruning

Hydrangea paniculata sprouts are pruned at the end of winter, before the buds appear, in early spring - in March, before the leaves bloom (main pruning), or in late autumn, at a temperature not higher than +5 . .. + 10 C

In the fall, cut off faded inflorescences to reduce branch breakage. Sometimes part of the main pruning is transferred to autumn: if specimens are needed on stronger shoots, but with smaller flowers.

A hardy plant in a sheltered position (veranda) pruned in late autumn: this is safe and ensures a luxuriant bloom next year. nine0003

Note

Pruning paniculata hydrangea largely depends on the form to be given to the plant: bush, bush with a raised crown, standard with an upright or drooping crown.

Winter and spring pruning of hydrangeas

Since the shrubs form inflorescences on new shoots, they are pruned in late winter (the best time for pruning), before growth begins, shortening the shoots by 1/3. Winter pruning promotes the formation of large flowers. nine0003

In early spring, shrubs are given sanitary, rejuvenating, thinning and shaping pruning. In the new season, long shoots will appear from the remaining buds, whose ends are decorated with inflorescences.

Autumn procedures

In cold climates, gardeners are afraid to drastically cut hydrangeas for the winter: wounds remain on the branches and shoots that do not have time to heal before the onset of cold weather, which makes the plant vulnerable to frost.

If you prune to the full extent and leave the plant in this form for the winter, moisture and infections that get into the wounds will lead to cell death. In autumn, pruning dried inflorescences on adult plants is safe - this is also true if the plant is covered for the winter. nine0003

In heavy snowfalls, numerous inflorescences are dangerous for shrubs: under the weight of snow, the wood is deformed, broken off or shoots bend to the ground, in spring they will have to be tied up so that they get used to growing upright again.

Link on the topic: Hydrangea (photo) Growing and types

Scheme of hydrangeas trim

9000

Classes of hydrangeas - Classes

It is time to prove hydrangea

Pruning of hydrange sick and weak branches, and you're done, or you can not cut at all, leave the bushes as they are, only they will look sloppy. And if you want to get beautiful even plants - then you need to take up the secateurs

1. If you want to get an even, neat hydrangea bush, you need to form it “from an early age”. After planting, let him get a little stronger, do not touch him for two or even three years. Inflorescences will begin to form, remove them, you should leave only one on each bush to make sure you get the variety you wanted. The signal that you can cut will be the required number of branches, there must be at least six of them.

2. As soon as you think it's time to cut, in the spring we cut off all the shoots to a height of 10 cm, we get such a stump. Do not be afraid, such a radical haircut will not harm the plant. During the same season, new shoots will grow from the bush. If they want to bloom - we remove the inflorescences, the plant should not spend energy on this now. nine0003

Z. Next year in the spring we cut again, leaving only the most beautiful, even, growing upwards, strong, all the rest (uneven, weak, thin, diseased, thickening the crown) - we remove.

These very shoots will become the basis of our bush, and we will work with them. There should be few of them, let there be only two, but only the very best.

4. Next, we cut the plants to the desired height, let them bush and branch. New ones will appear - again we leave only the best. This is the only way to keep the "freedom-loving" hydrangea in the right shape. nine0003

IMPORTANT TO REMEMBER!

HYDROANGIA SHOULD BE CUT OUT IN EARLY SPRING, AS soon as the LEAVES BEGINNING TO FLOW, WE TAKE PUNCHES. LATE? THEN IT IS BETTER NOT TO TOUCH THE PLANTS, BUT TO WAIT A LITTLE LITTLE BEFORE THE LEAVES FULLY OPEN

THE SECRET OF THE LUFFY HYDENSIA? CORRECT CUTTING!

Hydrangea will please with lush hats of flowers only with the right shaping. But many are afraid to approach the plant with a pruner. Our tips will help you cope with this job.

Optimal time

Both tree and paniculate hydrangeas bloom on the current year's shoots. This means that you can cut these ornamental shrubs both in the fall (after leaf fall in the garden) and in the spring before the start of sap flow (but not later: if you are late with this procedure, the hydrangea will “cry”).

Tree pruning

I start pruning not earlier than the bush is 4 years old. First, I remove all broken, twisted and dried branches. Next - branches with a diameter of less than 0.5 cm (they are weak and will not give inflorescences, but they pull food on themselves). For a guide, you can take a simple pencil (its diameter is approximately 0.5 cm) - remove everything that is thinner. nine0003

After I cut out all the branches that grow inside the bush and thicken it.

Then I shorten each remaining shoot by about half, but the remaining length should be at least 50 cm. If you cut it short, you may not wait for flowering this year.

I do anti-aging pruning of tree hydrangeas no more than once every 7 years and stretch the procedure for 3 years, cutting out a third of all shoots every season (I leave stumps 10-15 cm high). In the end, I get a completely updated bush. nine0003

Panicula pruning

Paniculata hydrangea is an excellent tapeworm. Unlike a tree, it does not form a bush (up to 1. 5 m), but rather a small tree (up to 2 m high).

I start shaping the next year after planting. I leave some of the strongest shoots, from which I form the skeletal branches of the future bush. For the standard form, you can leave the most powerful shoot and form its crown.

I do not touch the skeletal branches of the paniculate hydrangea. I remove everything that has frozen over during the winter, branches that are broken and growing inside the bush. I shorten the remaining growths of last year, leaving 2-3 pairs of buds on them. I cut off all unnecessary branches into a ring. nine0003

© Author: Olga BABCHUK, Moscow region, Posad Yandex Zen

CUTTING THE HYDROANGIA - VIDEO

How to cut the hydrangea


b. n.

ORDER QUALITY AND CHEAP SEEDS AND OTHER PRODUCTS FOR HOME AND COTTAGE. PRICES CHEAP. CHECKED! JUST LOOK FOR YOURSELF AND BE SURPRISED. THERE ARE REVIEWS.

Learn more