Hydrangeas have the ability to produce beautiful, showy blooms that are sure to impress.
However, to ensure that your hydrangeas continue to bloom year after year with “large flowers”, it is crucial to know how to prune them.
Pruning is the process of cutting back a plant to promote new growth and improve its overall health.
When it comes to hydrangeas, pruning plays a critical role in ensuring that the plant produces beautiful blooms year after year.
Pruning hydrangeas can also help maintain the plant’s size and shape, which is particularly important if you are growing hydrangeas in a small space.
Sharing which gardening jobs need to be carried out in April, garden pros from Jacksons Nurseries have claimed that hydrangeas “need pruning now”.
The experts explained that most hydrangeas flower from mid to late summer. Their faded flower heads are typically kept on the plant over the winter both to protect the buds underneath and because they look pretty as a rustic winter feature when glistering in ice or snow.
When it comes to early spring, pruning off faded flower heads is “essential for helping to promote vigorous growth and large flowers in summer”.
The “only exception” to this rule is climbing hydrangeas, which are pruned in summer after flowering.
The gardening experts noted that the “best pruning method” depends on whether your hydrangea flowers on current years’ growth or older wood.
If you’re unsure, lightly pruning to the first pair of buds below the flower is the safest option to avoid being at risk of cutting away flower buds for this year’s blooms.
Hydrangea aborescens and hydrangea paniculata flower on older wood “so can be cut back harder”.
To do so, Start by removing dead or diseased wood from the plant. This will help prevent disease and ensure the plant looks healthy.
Remove weak or crossing branches. These branches can rub against each other, causing damage to the plant and preventing proper air circulation.
Then remove about one-third of the oldest stems at ground level. This will encourage the plant to produce new growth and set buds for next year’s blooms.
Hydrangea serrata, hydrangea quercifolia, hydrangea macrophylla and hydrangea aspera flower on current year’s growth, so “lightly deadhead faded flowers” to the first pair of buds below.
Make sure not to prune too much, as this can stunt the plant’s growth and reduce blooming.
