Since many years ago, hydrangeas have been a highly popular plant. They are an absolute necessity in many gardens because of their gorgeous huge, spectacular flowers. Because they can bloom for such a long time, they are a multipurpose shrub that needs very little maintenance. They look fantastic in containers and are ideal for use in floral arrangements.
While all of this sounds wonderful, as it is, there can occasionally be some doubt and fuzziness when it comes to trimming hydrangeas. This might be the case because different hydrangea varieties flower on various types of wood, so before I can explain how to prune, I’ll need to go over the many varieties with you to make sure you don’t remove any stems that might flower in the upcoming season.
Just to be clear, hydrangeas don’t require any pruning at all; if you leave them alone, they will survive just fine. They will keep growing and blooming, but pruning does help maintain a wonderful form, especially if it starts to seem lanky. It assists in producing higher-quality flowers and in controlling the size. It won’t hurt to skip a year of pruning, and if the particular hydrangea you wish to work on is severely out of shape, you might want to give it a hard prune and forgo flowering for an entire year.
Large leaf Varieties: Hydrangea macrophylla (Mophead) and (Lacecap)
The large leaf variety, either the mophead or the lacecap, are the most widely grown hydrangeas in New Zealand and the type that first comes to mind when discussing our beloved hydrangea. Mopheads and lacecaps have remarkably similar leaf structures, but their flowers differ significantly. Many of you may be familiar with the large, fluffy, pom-pom-like flower found on mop heads. A head of tiny flower buds in the center of lacecaps is surrounded by delicate, solitary blooms that are flatter and less fluffy. On aged wood, the stem from the previous year’s production, both of these types flower. This means that if you desire blooms for the upcoming season, you cannot perform excessive pruning.
Timing
Hydrangeas should be pruned in the middle to end of winter. Early spring is frequently the best time for pruning, though some people choose to wait a little longer in case of any late frosts. Any new buds that emerge after pruning usually sustain harm from late frosts. Holding off a little bit on pruning hydrangeas is the best course of action because doing so too early may encourage new growth.
How to prune mopheads and lacecaps
- Any stems that are broken or dead should be pruned back to the root. Any pruning process requires the removal of any stems that are infected or damaged. If a stem is green below, it is still alive; if it is brown, it has passed its prime. If you are unsure whether a stem is dead, you can scrape it with your fingernail.
- Remove any weak or spindly growth, as well as very old stems by cutting them off at the base.
- If you want to grow a plant with a nice shape, remove any branches that are crossing over.
- After the flowering shoots have been pruned back, they should still be visible (dead and brown as they may be). Find the two next-to-each-other, fattest, largest buds, then cut slightly above the buds, keeping in mind the size you want the plant to be.
- The smaller buds are leaf buds, and when two large buds are together, they will be flower buds.
- Hydrangeas don’t care how you make the cut, so don’t be picky. Although the angle isn’t too crucial, try to make the cut as neat and tidy as you can.
- Wherever it is possible, keep all shoots that were flowerless.
Quercifolia, Oakleaf varieties
The leaves on these types have an oak-like shape, and they even change color from green to crimson as the seasons change. On ancient wood, several types also blossom.
Although it’s best to leave oakleaf kinds alone, if modest pruning is necessary to maintain their shape, bear in mind that, like mopheads, they flower on old wood so cut down to the flower buds.
To increase the health of your plant, remove any branches that are dead, dying, or unhealthy.
Paniculata varieties
These types have a distinctive triangle- or cone-shaped blossom that frequently opens white or cream, fades to pink, or, in the case of hydrangea limelight, opens lime green, then goes white. Compared to the earlier cultivars, they often have significantly smaller leaves. Paniculata types flower on new wood, which makes them very easy to prune because excessive pruning could prevent them from blooming. All new wood created has the potential to bear flowers.
Hydrangea paniculatas can be severely pruned if desired each year. If you want to retain the height of your plants, you can either deadhead them or trim them right back to 15 cm from the ground, leaving only a few buds on each stem. With these plants, the choice is entirely yours.
When should hydrangeas in New Zealand be pruned?
The ideal soil for hydrangeas is fertile, well-worked, and rich in compost. They can survive in the sun as well as the shade of the garden. Another excellent choice for pots and containers is hydrangea. To give the roots plenty of area, plant smaller types or choose a pot that is between medium and large in size. Since they grow quickly and vigorously, hydrangeas will reward you with a variety of flowers in lovely colours of lime, rose, mauve, or blue.
Hydrangeas can wilt and turn brown on really hot days, so they will benefit from routine watering all summer long. To assist keep them from wilting during the day, water your hydrangeas in the morning. Tui Mulch & Feed can be used to mulch around your hydrangeas to help retain soil moisture.
Your hydrangeas’ color may be influenced by the fertility of your soil and may readily change if it does. Tui Lime, which enhances red or pink flowers, or Tui Hydrangea Blue, which intensifies blue tones, can be added to change the color of flowers. Within a few weeks, changes ought to manifest.
Even though hydrangeas won’t require feeding until later summer or early autumn, giving them regular doses of Tui Organic Seaweed Plant Tonic will give them a healthy boost and enable them to survive the long, hot days.
Hydrangeas can be pruned either in the autumn or in the early spring/late winter. The plump flower buds will begin to form around August or September, making it simple to identify the best areas for pruning to maximize flowering. The tall, narrow leaves of vegetative buds will be present. To maximize flowering, our recommendation is to deadhead in the fall and then, after the risk of frost has gone, cut back to a fat bud in August or September.
Because they maintain their color well after drying, hydrangeas are ideal for selecting and drying. They look beautiful on their own in a vase and are frequently used for bouquets. The optimum time to harvest hydrangeas is in the late summer to early fall, when they have dried out. In a dimly lit area, hang your harvested hydrangeas upside down (this will help their colour last longer). Make sure the stems are straight and that there is airflow around them. You’ll have lovely dried hydrangeas to enjoy in two to four weeks.
How far back do my hydrangeas need to be pruned?
Remove up to one-third of the older living stems from the hydrangea each summer, cutting them all the way to the ground. The plant will recover as a result. Before the end of July, if required, prune back the plant to regulate its growth and give the buds time to grow. Usually, the plant grows back to its previous size right away.
How should a hydrangea be pruned, step by step?
Simply put, old wood is wood from the previous year. On stalks that have been part of the plant since the previous year, flower buds on hydrangeas that bloom on old wood are set in the late summer.
The mophead, bigleaf (macrophylla), lacecap, and oakleaf kinds of hydrangea bloom on ancient wood.
These gorgeous shrubs require very little pruning. If you must, though, knowing when and where to trim is crucial. That’s because the less flowers you have the following summer, the more old wood you take.
To keep your old wood hydrangeas healthy and vigorous, take the following three steps:
- Pruning flowering stems back to a pair of sound buds should be done as soon as possible after blooming, but no later than July.
- Remove weak or broken stems during the winter or early spring pruning. The oldest stalks should only be removed in thirds, cutting them to the ground.
- To maintain the shape of your shrubs and revitalize them, repeat the method each summer.
What occurs if hydrangeas are not pruned?
If and when you prune is the key to happy, healthy hydrangea flowers. Of course, fertilizing 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 colors 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 fertilizer. Come on in, and we’ll show you where to go to develop your green thumb.
What occurs if hydrangeas are not deadheaded?
Deadheading too-tall hydrangeas can occasionally be challenging. Your other option is to keep them on if you don’t have the skills to reach spent flowers or all of the spent blooms. And you can do that without suffering too much harm.
Simply omit deadheading hydrangeas, and your plant won’t suffer. At least nothing major enough to need worrying about.
Your hydrangea might not produce as many or as large of blooms as it would have if the spent blooms had been removed. It will nevertheless continue to bloom.
Having said that, you can think about pruning hydrangeas that have gotten too tall in order to make them smaller and easier to handle.
This will make it simpler for you to maintain the tidy appearance of your hydrangeas. Additionally, it will make it simpler to remove spent blooms from plants and promote future blooms with greater vigor.
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 favor by deadheading because this strengthens and makes plants healthier.
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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Does fresh or old wood produce flowers for hydrangeas?
Smooth hydrangeas are easy to grow and exceptionally cold tolerant; they are native to the southern United States. This species, which is frequently misidentified as an Annabelle hydrangea, has enormous, spherical flower heads that are colored white, pink, and green.
Ideal Conditions for Smooth Hydrangeas
A position with some shade is necessary for smooth hydrangea to flourish. Plants benefit from morning light or bright shade for blossoming while being shielded from the scorching afternoon sun. Drought is a threat to plants, and they thrive under conditions of consistent wetness. a great inclusion in woodland gardens and mixed borders, or hidden beneath perennials.
Pruning Smooth Hydrangeas
On fresh wood, smooth hydrangeas blossom. In order to promote profusion of blooms and keep plants at a reasonable size, plants are frequently cut back to the ground in late winter or early spring. Cut some of the stems to the ground and leave others with varied lengths, between one and two feet, if a larger shrub is desired.