When do I prune my Hydrangea? How do I prune my Hydrangea?
Healthy, happy and hydrated Hydrangeas
Hydrangeas have been a gardener’s favourite for many decades and at this time of year, it is very easy to see why! We have therefore decided to have our Hydrangeas as stars of the show in our Deal of the Week: Save 25% on all British Grown 4.5 litre potted hydrangeas. (THIS OFFER ENDS AT 8AM ON MONDAY 9TH AUGUST 2021)
Throughout the colder months, these hardy, deciduous shrubs can look a little bare (and sometimes even fool us into thinking they have died) but come the Spring, they’re raring to go and there is no stopping them in the Summer months. Various shapes, sizes and colours are jam-packed with foliage and flowers, they are really a must have in your summer pots or garden border.
Aborescens, Paniculata and Macrophylla seem to be the 3 most popular types of Hydrangea and these are what we love and tend to source from our growers. If like me, these names seem to go over your head a little, here is a simple explanation with photos which will hopefully prompt you to think ‘ah yes, I recognise them now’.
Macrophylla includes Mophead and Lacecap varieties, Mopheads being the big clusters of blooms and Lacecap produce a flat cap of petite flowers with larger petals around the edge to attract pollinators. Here’s an example of each available in our deal, the Mophead pictured is our Bela Branco and the Lacecap is our Nizza Blue.
So, we’ve had a Mophead head’s up and a Lacecap re-cap, now for Paniculatas. Paniculatas produce the large showy cones of flowers, my current favourite being our stunning Strawberry Blossom pictured here:
We include a colour care guide with each of our Hydrangeas including images and tips but one piece of advice which is always worth referring to is when and how to prune these fabulous plants as timings and techniques do vary.
When do I prune my Hydrangea? How do I prune my Hydrangea?
We would recommend leaving the spent flowers on your plant until the following Spring, around April time, as firstly they look stunning decorated with frosted cobwebs and it helps to protect the stems and the buds from frost damage.
When it comes to pruning your Mophead or Lacecap (macrophylla), simply snip each stem back to just above the next set of healthy buds below the spent flower. These varieties will flower on the current, 1 year old wood/stems. Whilst you have your snippers out it is also worth removing any thin, weak stems right back to the base and for more established plants, a couple of chunky old stems could also be removed to give flowers and foliage a little more breathing space.
Paniculata (cones of flowers) and Aborescens (large pom pom balls of flowers, like our Annabelle stocked earlier in the year) produce their flowers on new wood/stems and we would therefore suggest cutting all of the stems back to approximately 6 inches from the base to a set of healthy buds in Spring. This helps to achieve a low framework and prevent the plant from being too tall and top heavy (allowing the stems to be sturdy enough to hold up the bulky yet beautiful blooms).
As the name suggests, our Hydrangeas do like to be hydrated but please don’t leave them sitting in water for too long. Simply give them a drink when the top of the soil starts to feel quite dry.
You know where I am if you have any questions and need some Hydrangea Help!
Take care, Lins x