Pruning Hydrangeas Made Easy

Hydrangea pruning seems to be a major headache for gardeners who don't know the whys, hows and whens of pruning this amazing flower. The main thing to know is that most hydrangeas do not need to be pruned...ever! The next thing you will need to know is whether your hydrangea plant blooms on old wood or new wood. The most common types of hydrangeas, such as mophead, lacecap and oakleaf, are examples of hydrangeas that bloom on old wood. With fall here, you may have noticed that your "mophead" hydrangeas are fading to a wonderful light green hue sometimes tinged with pink. I love this autumn coloring and personally choose not remove the blooms until they are brown and dry, which could be all the way into November. If you wait this late in the season, it's important you only cut the dead flowers off and not lower on the stem - this will assure flowers on those same stems (old wood) next year. But, if your hydrangeas are getting too big and you want to prune back more severely, you must do so before the end of July to be able to get blooms the following year. If you cut way back after July, you'll be cutting off the source for your spring flowers. Other types of hydrangeas bloom on new wood, which means the flowers will come from new spring growth. PeeGee hydrangeas and Anabelle hydrangeas are such examples and should be pruned all the way to the ground in January, and come spring, new growth will shoot out and soon you will have beautiful new blooms. If you are unsure of the type of hydrangea you have, take a clipping to your local nursery and they should be able to help identify what type of plant you have. photos courtesy of hydrangeashydrangeas.com