Hydrangeas are very gorgeous plants that stand out among all plants in your garden. Some gardeners grow them due to their interesting foliage and bark and others grow them for their stunning showy blossoms.
These plants require minimal care so you don’t need to prune them quite often. Sometimes, you need to remove dead stems when plants get too old. How and when to prune them depends on the type of plant you have.
In this article, you will learn when to prune hydrangeas and how to prune hydrangeas? Let’s get started…
When to Prune Hydrangeas?
Pruning Hydrangeas can be very confusing even for the most experienced gardeners. Because some kinds of hydrangeas are pruned in the spring or fall and others are trimmed in late summer. The pruning of hydrangeas depends on their type and blooming period.
Hydrangeas that Blooms in Late Summer
Some hydrangeas bloom in late summer so you should prune them in late winter or early spring. These types include many varieties such as Limelight, Burgundy Lace, Quickfire, and other classic snowball types such as Annabelle.
Some other varieties can also be pruned in late winters such as the classic PG or PeeGee. This variety produces creamy white flowers. All the winter-pruned varieties are identified by their botanical name i.e. Hydrangea arborescence and H. Paniculata.
Hydrangeas that Blooms in Summer
You can prune some of the varieties of hydrangeas in summer once they have finished blooming. Pruning hydrangeas in early spring can lead to the risk of cutting off the dormant flower buds. You should allow them to set buds for the next year by pruning the plants right after the blooms have faded.
Oakleaf and bigleaf hydrangeas such as blue-flowering cultivars, and Nikko Blue, bloom from buds set the previous year. If you want to prune them to maintain their size or shape, try to do it in the summer, especially before August.
Some other so-called ever-blooming hydrangeas should be pruned in the same way as above. These bigleaf hydrangeas such as Blushing Bride and Endless Summer are unique because they bloom on new as well as old wood.
Pruning Hydrangeas
Method of pruning hydrangeas varies based on the kind of hydrangeas as follows:
Bigleaf Hydrangea
You should trim away all spent flowers as they make the plant look tidy. You should prune the plants when most of the flowers have faded. Dead and weaker stems should also need to prune. Always use a sharp bypass pruner for this purpose. Don’t prune all old stems because it will keep growing flowers until the new growth matures.
Smooth Hydrangea
Unlike bigleaf, smooth hydrangea blooms only on the new wood. Therefore, you should prune the plant in early spring to ensure a little bit of growth for flowers. Remove all injured or killed branches over the winter. You can also lightly trim other branches to improve the shape of the plant.
PG Hydrangea
You should prune PG hydrangea in late winter or early spring. Pruning in this time will not only prevent the plant from becoming overgrown but also enhances the healthy growth of the plants. Remove all spent flowers and dead branches to beautify the plants.