Trim Hydrangea paniculata

Hydrangea paniculata is becoming a popular garden plant in its various forms. Unlike the traditional ‘mophead’ hydrangeas, it’s completely hardy and copes better with dry summer weather and winter cold. Pruning is also simple – you hard prune in the same way as a buddleja in spring. The flowers are pale green, white, cream or pink and there’s no blue, but their ease of culture is a big advantage. Huge flower heads, now turning brown, can cause the shoots to split at the base of the plant in rough, windy weather. Removing them will help prevent this and tidy the border, but don’t prune them back to the base until spring. You could also cut them for an indoor vase display.