PRUNE YOUR HYDRANGEAS
Most varieties need a chop back now to encourage the best displays and good growth
To get the best possible display from your hydrangeas it’s important they’re pruned correctly. As a guide, early spring is when most hydrangeas are pruned.
Hydrangea macrophylla, which includes the mopheads and lacecaps, are instantly recognisable with large, colourful flower heads in pink, blue and white. This group all flower on the previous season’s shoots, so it’s important not to prune too hard to prevent cu ing off flower buds for later in the season. We tend to prune off the dead flower heads down to a pair of plump buds a few inches down the stem.
It’s these buds that grow and flower later in summer.
It’s also a good idea to thin congested growth by pruning back around a quarter of the older stems to ground level to encourage strong new shoots. These won’t flower in the first year, but the following summer they’ll carry large blooms. This method means the wood in the bush is never older than four years, which helps to keep the plant vigorous and healthy.
Varieties that flower on new growth are H. paniculata and its many conical-flowered varieties, and H. arborescens, with ‘Annabelle’ being the most widely grown. This has creamy white or pink heads the size of footballs that start to flower from July. The pruning of these types is simple, and with all types of H. arborescens you can cut all last year’s stems down to ground level. This promotes strong new, sturdy growth that is able to carry the weight of the flowers. H. paniculata can also be hard pruned, although a popular method is to prune back last year’s stems to an older framework of branches.
Other types include H. petiolaris, or climbing hydrangea, which is best pruned in late summer after flowering by shortening stems growing out from the wall. H. aspera and H. quercifolia are grown as much for foliage as flowers and are pruned lightly in spring to remove dead wood and to maintain a good shape.