Pruning is crucial for maintaining the garden’s aesthetic and health. Currently, it’s an ideal time to prune mophead and lace-cap hydrangeas.
The Royal Horticultural Society (RHS) has advised: “Hydrangeas flower from mid-to-late summer on the previous year’s growth.”
They also noted, “Mophead and lacecap hydrangeas will bloom satisfactorily with little attention, but annual pruning encourages new, vigorous growth and a better flowering display.”
Other varieties, like climbing hydrangeas, also benefit from pruning, although this should be done at the end of summer.
Mophead hydrangeas are recognised by their large, round flower heads, while lacecaps feature small central flowers surrounded by larger petals.
For pruning mophead hydrangeas, the RHS suggests deadheading now which takes no more than five minutes. Deadheading is the term used for the removal of fading or dead flowers from plants.
Deadheading keeps plants looking attractive and encourages more blooms, whether in beds and borders, containers or hanging baskets.
Their guidance includes: “Remove the dead flower heads, cutting back the stem to the first strong, healthy pair of buds down from the faded bloom.”
For lacecaps, which are more robust, they recommended: “Lacecaps are hardier, and the faded flower heads can be cut back after flowering to the second pair of leaves below the head to prevent seeds developing, which saps energy from the plant.”
When dealing with mature hydrangeas, the advice is to remove one or two of the oldest stems from the base to promote fresh growth.
Lastly, the experts have mentioned: “Overgrown or poorly shaped plants can be entirely renovated by cutting off all the stems at the base.
“However, this will remove all the flowers for that summer. The new stems won’t bloom until the following year.”
Gardeners are advised to act if they notice frost damage come springtime as affected shoots should be cut back just above the first pair of healthy buds.
It’s also essential to clear away any weak or spindly growths, taking particular care to remove stems that are trailing along the ground.
