Hydrangeas come in a range of shapes ranging from circular balls to gorgeous cones.
The hydrangea is a plant that can survive through winter and is not sensitive to low temperatures or even a freeze.
However, during winter, most blooms fall from the plant, and whatever is left often turns dry and brown.
The cold winter weather can leave the remaining foliage and buds of hydrangeas dead and damaged – so how do you help these plants during this season?
According to Ben Hayman, a resident gardening expert at Hoselink, hydrangeas will gain “spectacular blooms” and grow “healthier” during the growing season if pruned using his quick guide he’s shared in a TikTok video
Taking to Hoselink’s TikTok account, Ben shared a video on how to go about pruning hydrangea paniculata – one of the most popular types of hydrangeas.
Ben started the video by saying: “Today I’m going to show you how to prune and get masses of flowers on your panicle hydrangeas, or as you may know them, hydrangea paniculata.
“These are the ones with the big cone-like flowers that look just as stunning in the garden as they do in any flower arrangement.
“We prune these guys in winter to early spring – and they’re really easy to prune they flower on the coming year’s growth.”
The expert noted that the first step is to remove the dead damaged and diseased, then prune back to a solid framework.
The next step is to thin out crowded areas, allowing light and airflow into the centre of the plant.
The third step is to reduce the plant’s height to 30 to 40cm from the ground to support the new growth. Make sure to prune just above a double bud to ensure “as many flower stems as possible”.
One of the best things about this type of hydrangea is that you can prune it above rot below that 30 to 40cm guide and it doesn’t make that much difference. The expert said: “Basically, you can’t get ti wrong as it flowers on new wood.”
Ben concluded: “So that’ it, one of the easiest jobs in the garden done, and I bet you it was nowhere near as scary as you thought.”
