Pruning Hydrangeas - FineGardening (2024)

FAQs

Pruning Hydrangeas - FineGardening? ›

Prune in late summer or fall. Leave strong-looking growth with buds. Prune out deadwood and weak growth. These types of hydrangeas bloom on what is called “old wood,” meaning they set their flower buds along the stems the year before.

Prune back stems to just above a fat bud — called a heading cut — in fall, late winter or spring. These plants have conical-shaped flower heads. I recommend leaving the dry, tan flower heads on the plant to provide some winter interest in your landscape, so I wait to prune these until late winter or spring.

In late winter or early spring, these shrubs can be cut all the way back to the ground. Smooth hydrangeas will produce much larger blooms if pruned hard like this each year, but many gardeners opt for smaller blooms on sturdier stems.

You don't need anything fancy for pruning hydrangeas, just a good pair of bypass pruners. We recommend bypass pruners because the blades overlap, making a clean cut that is much healthier for live plants. (Anvil-style pruners should only be used on dead wood as they can crush and damage branches.)

When to prune hydrangeas. Most pruning is carried out in late winter or early spring. However, climbing hydrangeas are pruned after flowering in summer.

Cut the hydrangeas in the morning when it's cooler.

Your flowers will look fresher than if they've been under the hot sun all day. Since the flowers are fresher, they will last longer in your arrangement.

Hydrangeas should never be pruned in the fall. "Hydrangeas set flower buds for the following season in the fall, so if you cut it back, you are cutting off all of the blooms," says McEnaney.

Cut these stems close to the ground. Remember buds for blooms are produced on old wood and the more old wood you remove the less floral display in the spring and summer. To rejuvenate the hydrangea, remove up to 1/3 of the older living stems down to the ground each summer. This will revitalize the plant.

Hydrangea paniculata and Hydrangea aborescens produce flowers on new wood, which means that you can cut them back harder without losing this year's flowers. Pruning is not essential, but left unpruned the plant will get taller, with most of the flowers at the top.

Hydrangeas that bloom on new wood can be safely pruned in late fall once the plants have gone dormant or in early spring. Next year's flower buds won't be formed until late spring the same year they bloom, so there is no risk of removing the buds if you prune in fall or spring.

Is it better to prune hydrangeas in fall or spring? ›

While some plants bloom on new growth, others primarily set flower buds on old wood. Regardless, it is best to wait to prune all hydrangeas until spring. In the fall, hydrangeas (and all trees and shrubs) are in the process of going dormant. They do not produce very much new growth until the following spring.

Smooth Hydrangeas are a breeze to care for – when the plants have gone dormant, take a hedge trimmer or pruner and cut all the stems down to between 6” and 12” in height. Do not prune them during the growing season or you will remove the flower buds and may miss out on the flower show.

The hydrangea, which grows on old wood, doesn't need much pruning. If your oakleaf is outgrowing its dedicated space, cut back no more than one-third of the stems after the plant flowers in June or July, says Becker. Weak and dead stems can also be removed in late winter or early spring.

In addition to encouraging hydrangeas to produce more flowers, pruning these shrubs each year helps keep them healthy if they get damaged by weather and allows you to shape them however you like.

Hydrangea paniculata, panicle hydrangea

Prune back stems to just above a fat bud — called a heading cut — in fall, late winter, or spring. These plants have conical-shaped flower heads that provide nice winter interest in your landscape, so wait to prune these until late winter or spring.