Hydrangeas are popular flowering shrubs that are prized for their beautiful blooms, but if they’re not pruned properly, they can become overgrown and produce fewer flowers.
Pruning hydrangeas is an important task that can help improve the plant’s overall health, promote new growth, and encourage more flowers. However, pruning hydrangeas can be tricky, as different types of hydrangeas require different pruning techniques.
If you’re not sure how to prune your hydrangeas, this article is for you. In this guide, we’ll walk you through the step-by-step process of pruning hydrangeas, including tips for identifying the type of hydrangea you have and how to prune it correctly.
Step 1: Determine the type of hydrangea you have
Different types of hydrangeas require different pruning techniques. There are four main types of hydrangeas: mophead (Hydrangea macrophylla), lacecap (Hydrangea macrophylla), panicle (Hydrangea paniculata), and smooth (Hydrangea arborescens). It’s important to know which type of hydrangea you have before pruning so that you don’t accidentally remove any buds or flowers that are needed for the plant’s growth.
Step 2: Identify dead, damaged or diseased wood
Remove any dead, damaged, or diseased wood using pruning shears. This will help improve the overall health of the plant.
Step 3: Remove old wood (if necessary)
For mophead and lacecap hydrangeas, remove any old wood that is over three years old. This will encourage new growth and more flowers. For panicle hydrangeas, you can remove up to half of the previous year’s growth, which will encourage more blooms.
Step 4: Cut back to healthy buds
Cut back to just above a healthy bud, leaving at least two pairs of buds on each stem. This will encourage new growth and more flowers. Make the cut at a 45-degree angle to promote healing and prevent water from pooling on the cut.
Step 5: Don’t over-prune
Avoid over-pruning, as this can stunt the plant’s growth and reduce the number of flowers it produces. Only remove about one-third of the plant’s total growth in a given year.
Here are some additional tips for pruning hydrangeas:
– Prune hydrangeas in late winter or early spring, before new growth starts to appear.
– Use sharp, clean pruning shears to make clean cuts and prevent the spread of disease.
– If you’re not sure what type of hydrangea you have, wait until after it has bloomed to prune it. This will ensure that you don’t accidentally remove any buds or flowers.