When should hydrangeas be cut back?

Trimming should be done immediately after flowering stops in summer, but no later than August 1. Do not prune in fall, winter, or spring or you could be cutting off new buds. Tip-pruning the branches as leaves emerge in spring can encourage multiple, smaller flower heads rather than fewer larger flower heads.

What happens if you don't cut back your hydrangeas?

What happens if you don't prune hydrangeas? If you don't prune hydrangeas then they can eventually resemble a tangled mass of woody stems, and the flowers will become smaller and less showy. Regular pruning of hydrangeas helps to maintain their shape and also encourages new growth and a better display of blooms.

Do I cut back hydrangeas for winter?

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.

How far do you cut back hydrangeas in the fall?

Pruning the plants to leave 18 to 24 inches allows a woody base to develop that helps stems better support the pompom blooms.

Should I cut off Brown hydrangea blooms?

Are the blooms on your hydrangea shrubs fading or turning brown? No need to worry – this is simply a sign that it's time to remove the flowers, a process called deadheading. When you deadhead hydrangeas, you aren't harming the plants at all.

How and when to prune Hydrangeas

How do you prepare hydrangeas for winter?

The simplest method is to mound shredded leaves or bark mulch around the base of the plant to about 12 inches or so. Put the mulch mound in place in late fall after the ground freezes, and uncover plants in spring when temperatures begin to stay above freezing.

Which hydrangeas should not be pruned?

Oakleaf hydrangeas, Hydrangea quercifolia: This native hydrangea features cone-shaped white blooms that turn a beautiful shade of russet in late summer. It, too, blooms on old wood so should not be pruned until after flowering.

How much should hydrangeas be cut back for winter?

Hydrangeas that bloom on new wood require pruning in late winter or early spring. Prune to shape, cutting back to about two feet. The pruning promotes new, sturdy growth, which provides the blooms next season.

Do you cut back hydrangeas in the 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.

Should I cut my hydrangea to the ground?

Pruning Panicle Hydrangea

paniculata blooms on new wood, so it needs no pruning at all. But if you want to rejuvenate the plant, you can prune it within a few feet of the ground in late winter or early spring. Spring pruning also can help control its size.

Should I cut off Brown hydrangea leaves?

However once the flower buds and newer leaves have turn brown there is not much you can do to revive them. Therefore cut back any growth that has been damaged by the frost and trim back to healthy growth.

What do you do with hydrangeas in the winter?

Hydrangeas in Winter

Protect hydrangeas during winter with a layer of mulch. Leave faded blooms to create winter interest. Protect hydrangeas during winter with a layer of mulch. Leave faded blooms to create winter interest.

How do I know what type of hydrangea I have?

If the flower buds open a green color, then turn white, and as they age turn green or greenish brown, you have an arborescens type. If the flowers open white and stay white until they get old, then you probably have a macrophylla type. White flowering macrophylla types are less common, but they do exist.

What should hydrangeas look like in winter?

Hydrangea flower heads turn dry and brown in the fall and will remain that way throughout winter if not removed. Hydrangeas also lose their leaves during fall, but the brown stalks remain upright unless pruned back.

What should I do with hydrangeas in the fall?

Raking up the Hydrangea leaves after they fall is always a good idea. This helps keep disease and over-wintering insects from remaining in the area. This is especially important for the control of Chilli Thrips that have been found disfiguring hydrangea foliage on the Cape.

Can I cut back an overgrown hydrangea?

Try to keep cuts above the first set of large leaves or only cut down to the last healthy buds. This ensures the safety of any developing blooms for the next season. When pruning hydrangea bushes that have become overgrown, cut stems to the ground.

Do hydrangeas bloom on new or old wood?

Pruning Smooth Hydrangeas

Smooth hydrangeas bloom on new wood. Plants are commonly cut back to the ground in late winter to early spring to encourage abundant blooms and maintain plants at a manageable size.

What do you do with hydrangeas in September?

Prune fall blooming hydrangeas, or old wood bloomers, after they bloom in the summer. If you prune old wooded hydrangeas in fall, you are cutting off next seasons blooms. Summer blooming hydrangeas, or those that bloom on new wood, are pruned in the fall, after they stop blooming.

Why didnt my hydrangea bloom this year?

The primary reasons hydrangeas don't bloom are incorrect pruning, bud damage due to winter and/or early spring weather, location and too much fertilizer. Hydrangea varieties can be of the type that blooms on old wood, new wood or both. Old wood is the current year's growth and new wood is next year's (spring) growth.

What does Epsom salt do for hydrangeas?

Hydrangea macrophylla, ones with pink and blue ones, are affected by the pH of the soil. A pH below 6 is best for blue flowers; above 6 encourages pink ones. Adding Epsom salts to your plant increases the amount of magnesium in the soil.