I have a variety of hydrangea varieties and I’m not sure when to prune them. When I pruned in the spring one year, there were no blooms. Please provide advice.
The type of hydrangea will determine how to prune it. Some hydrangeas require winter or fall pruning, while others need summer pruning. It can be really perplexing. Rest assured that pruning your hydrangea at the wrong time won’t likely destroy it. However, it is likely that your plant may have fewer flowers or it might not bloom at all the following flowering cycle.
There are 23 different varieties of hydrangeas available to gardeners. They can grow as evergreen or deciduous shrubs, tiny trees, or vines, among other things. They are tough and disease- and insect-resistant. With consistent hydration, organically rich, well-drained soil, and afternoon shade, hydrangeas thrive in Virginia.
In the United States, hydrangeas come in five different species: oakleaf, smooth, bigleaf, mountain, and panicle (tree). Both the panicle and smooth form develop their flowers on new wood, or wood that was grown that year. The remaining varieties of hydrangeas produce flowers on last season’s growth of old wood. Depending on whether the flowers develop on old or new wood determines when to prune.
Bigleaf (Hydrangea macrophylla), oakleaf (Hydrangea quercifolia), smooth (Hydrangea arborescens), and panicle (Hydrangea paniculata) varieties of hydrangea are the four that thrive in Virginia. Most likely, your yard has one or more of these species.
- The only hydrangea native to Virginia is called Bigleaf (Hydrangea macrophylla), and it is distinguished by its mophead or lacecap flower styles. Huge, clumsy, medium to dark green leaves and large blossoms are present. It grows in partial to full shade and may withstand full sun if maintained moist, reaching heights of 6 to 10 feet. Depending on the pH of the soil, blooms might be white, pink, blue, purple, or red. On the tops of stems made of aged wood, flower buds grow.
- Oakleaf (Hydrangea quercifolia) can reach heights and widths of 6 to 8 feet and thrives in both full sun and some shade. It has big, coarse foliage that ranges in colour from grey to dark green and peeling bark that resembles oak leaves. Beautiful fall hues include shades of red, purple, yellow, gold, and bronze. Conical blooms come in a variety of colours, from white to light purple or pink. Old wood blossoms into flowers.
- A lesser variation, Smooth Hydrangea (Hydrangea arborescens), grows 3 to 5 feet tall and has a mounded growth habit. It thrives in partial shade or direct sunlight (with consistently moist soil). The leaves are big, rough, rounded, and green in colour, ranging from medium to dark green. It has either pink or white blossoms. Blooms develop on fresh growth and can withstand severe trimming.
- Hydrangea paniculata, often known as the panicle hydrangea, grows to a height of 8 to 15 feet and a width of 6 to 12 feet. It favours total shade over partial shade. It develops as an upright, heavily branched little tree or a big bush with branches that bend while the flowers are in bloom. The plant has dark green, slender, serrated leaves. The plant has huge, white conical blooms and is extremely winter-hardy. On fresh wood, flowers bloom.
Hydrangeas benefit from pruning in general when done properly because it promotes light and air circulation that fights illness. Wait until the plant is 5 or 6 years old before pruning. For the common varieties of Virginia hydrangeas, consider the following pruning advice:
Hydrangea with smooth panicles that blooms on new wood
- When plants are dormant, in the fall or winter, prune (before new growth begins).
- Trim back the entire plant to the ground or thin down any overly dense growth.
- In contrast to not pruning, which results in larger plants with few small blooms, heavy early pruning results in smaller plants with larger blooms.
Hydrangea with oak leaves (blooms on aged wood)
- In the summer, right after blossoming, prune.
- At any time, prune the dead wood by removing the largest canes from the tree and/or cutting back the stems just above the buds.
- To enjoy the bark’s amber peeling and magnificent fall colour, prune sparingly.
Hydrangea with big leaves that grows on aged wood
- Trim back the plant growth by up to one-third.
- The chance for blooming will be significantly reduced by severe spring pruning.
- After the initial flowering, prune bigleaf plants that never stop blooming because they produce flowers on both old and new wood.
NOTE: Use a pocketknife to remove a little bit of bark from the stem to ensure that you are only pruning dead wood. Avoid pruning anything that is green.
Although poor trimming is probably the reason of your plants’ lack of blooms, be sure to check out these troubleshooting suggestions to rule out other possibilities.
Now that you are informed, you can comprehend why your hydrangeas failed to bloom. Your hydrangeas appear to blossom on aged wood (like the bigleaf or oakleaf varieties). After the flower buds have grown, pruning in the spring will significantly diminish or even completely destroy that year’s blossoms.
Are you curious to find out more about this and other hydrangeas? Learn how to choose the best hydrangea for your setting and preferences, how to plant them, and how to take care of them by checking the North Carolina Extension Gardener Plant Toolbox. You can also alter the colour of the blossoms if you have oakleaf or mountain hydrangeas!
When should hydrangeas be pruned?
Depending on which group the plant belongs to, the timing and extent of pruning are determined:
Advice on Pruning for Group 1:
- As the days get shorter and the weather gets colder in the late summer and fall, buds for the following year’s blooms start to form.
- Typically, removing dead, diseased, or damaged branches is all that is required to preserve shape, size, and a healthy plant. Otherwise, gentle pruning ought to be practised.
- In the summer, trimming should begin as soon as flowering ends, but no later than August 1. Pruning should not be done in the fall, winter, or spring because you risk removing fresh buds.
- Tip-pruning the branches in the spring as the leaves begin to appear can promote more numerous, smaller flower heads as opposed to fewer, larger flower heads.
Advice on Pruning for Group 2:
- On the growth of the current year, flower buds form.
- Early in the spring, as the leaves are starting to emerge, prune.
- Just above a node, prune branches back by half to a third.
- After that, prune any fragile or spindly branches.
- Minimal trimming encourages huge, strong bushes with many of tiny flower heads in H. arborescens. Hard pruning between 12 and 18 inches from the ground, or even all the way down, will result in fewer but larger flower heads that may flop if unsupported.
- For H. paniculata, remove the surrounding smaller wood while leaving the larger stems in order to establish a sturdy foundation.
Pruning may be connected to flower head size. Shoots will grow more vigorously and flower heads will be bigger and fewer with more rigorous trimming. Smaller but more numerous flower heads may result from less aggressive or tip pruning.
Consideration of hydrangeas’ mature size is the best piece of advise. Place them in a location where they won’t outgrow and won’t need a lot of pruning to keep them in check. Hydrangeas don’t need to be pruned precisely or often; as long as dead wood is removed, they will remain healthy and continue to develop and bloom.
When and how should hydrangeas be pruned?
Mophead hydrangeas and lacecap hydrangeas, commonly known as bigleaf hydrangeas (Hydrangea macrophylla), are pruned using the same technique.
With its broad, roundish heads of huge petals in colours of blue, pink, green, and white, mophead hydrangeas are a popular choice for gardens. They are therefore a popular shrub option for cottage garden ideas and are also effective shade-giving bushes.
Small blooms in the centre of the bloom and a border of bigger petals on the outside help identify lacecap hydrangeas.
The experts at Thompson & Morgan suggest that in order to winterize hydrangeas, “it’s better to leave the faded blooms in place over the winter to safeguard vulnerable new buds from frost damage.”
Early in the spring, while pruning lacecaps and mophead hydrangeas:
- To promote new growth that will produce better blooms, remove one or two of the plant’s oldest, weakest stems at the base.
- Just above a pair of buds, carefully remove any old flowerheads using secateurs.
- Don’t remove any of the blossom buds, please.
- Cut the stems down to the plant’s root system if the bigleaf hydrangea shrub has been neglected and has a lot of overlapping, tangled branches. The hydrangea won’t blossom until the next year, though.
Are your hydrangea bushes chopped down for the winter?
If and when you prune is the key to happy, healthy hydrangea flowers. Of course, fertilising and offering the ideal environment have a lot to recommend them. However, if you don’t prune properly, your efforts will be in vain. Deadheading is not the same as trimming. Pruning refers to more drastic cutting to preserve shape or remove dead growth. However, feel free to discard spent blossoms or cut fresh ones to use in arrangements.
Hydrangeas can bloom on either fresh wood or old wood, depending on the species. The wood from which they blossom determines whether and when to prune.
Old wood-blooming hydrangeas do not require pruning and benefit from it. They’ll blossom more abundantly the next season if you leave them alone. But feel free to deadhead or gently thin. Just keep in mind that while new growth may appear, it won’t bloom until the following season. In our region, four different species blossom on aged wood. Additionally, they are not limited to the hues displayed here.
Climb using suckers. On your wall or trellis, resist the desire to remove the dormant growth.
The flower heads are more conical in appearance, and the leaves are large and resemble oak leaves. It’s a pleasant surprise for a hydrangea when its leaves turn reddish-orange in the fall.
They are very comparable to lacecap types, but smaller and with more compact leaves.
Pruning should be done in late winter or early spring on hydrangeas that bloom on new wood. Trim back to two feet to prune to shape. The next season’s blossoms are produced by strong, fresh growth that is encouraged by trimming. In our region, there are two types that bloom on fresh wood. They are also not restricted to the colours displayed.
Oakleaf variants are not included in cone-shaped blooms. Keep the blooms on throughout the winter to provide interest; even dried out, they are quite lovely.
regarded as a wild kind. They often have smaller blooms and leaves than Bigleaf variants and are completely white. They enjoy full sun and can grow very tall.
Knowing whether or when to prune now will help you avoid the disappointment of a hydrangea that doesn’t blossom. Don’t forget that a robust shrub will produce more gorgeous blossoms if it has well-draining soil and good organic fertiliser. Come on in, and we’ll show you where to go to develop your green thumb.
Cut back these shrubs in late winter before new growth begins
Shrubs that flower on young wood typically start blooming later than old-growth bloomers, beginning in June and continuing until the first frost, because they need to grow and set buds the same year that they bloom. As long as you avoid trimming when the flower buds are opening, these shrubs are understanding if it is not done at a specific period.
1. Trim the flowers all the way back for larger blooms.
These bushes can be completely removed from the ground in late winter or the beginning of spring. If cut severely like this every year, smooth hydrangeas will produce much larger flowers, but many gardeners prefer smaller blooms on stronger stems.
2. Maintain an old growth foundation to lessen flopping
Especially after watering from above or after a heavy storm, the branches of some hydrangeas frequently topple over from the weight of their blooms. Cutting the stems to a height of 18 to 24 inches will help to reduce this flopping by creating a strong framework for fresh growth.
Janet Carson is the University of Arkansas Cooperative Extension Service’s horticulture specialist.
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Should I remove the brown blooms on my hydrangea?
Your hydrangea shrubs’ blossoms appear to be withering or turning brown. No need to worry—this is merely a signal that it’s time to deadhead—remove the blossoms from the plant.
Deadheading hydrangeas doesn’t cause any damage to the plants at all. Flowering shrubs stop producing seeds when the spent blooms are removed, and instead focus their efforts on developing their roots and leaves. You will be doing your hydrangeas a favour by deadheading because this strengthens and makes plants healthier.
How are hydrangeas prepared for the winter?
Protecting flower buds is the aim of winter hydrangea care. The simplest approach is to pile 12 inches or so of mulch made of chopped-up leaves or bark around the base of the plant. After the ground freezes in the late fall, set the mulch pile there. Plants can then be exposed in the spring, when the temperature starts to stay above freezing.
When should dead hydrangea blossoms be removed?
These are your macrophylla hydrangeas, also known as mophead and lacecap, which come in purple, pink, and blue. They also include hydrangeas with oak-shaped leaves. While reblooming kinds flower twice, some cultivars only bloom once per season on stems from the previous year (old wood).
The initial set of hydrangea blossoms should be deadheaded as soon as they start to turn brown and dry. Cut the stem immediately above the first set of leaves and below the flower head. When this second set starts to fade, you can deadhead once again for reblooming varieties, but only until about mid-August. Your hydrangeas will then produce buds for the flowers of the next year; you don’t want to unintentionally cut these off. After the summer has ended, dried flower heads can remain on the shrubs to add visual interest over the winter.
Should you prune your hydrangea?
In the late winter, early spring, or just above a big bud known as a heading cut, trim back stems. The flower heads of these plants have a conical form. I wait to prune these until late winter or spring because I advise leaving the dried, tan flower heads on the plant to add some winter beauty to your garden. Favorite panicle hydrangeas include:
- H. paniculata ‘Bulk’ PP16, 812, Quick Fire
- (H. paniculata ‘Limelight’)
- Berry White (H. paniculata ‘Renba’ PP28, 509) first editions