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When to dead head mop head hydrangeas

Barn FieldBarn Field Posts: 47
in Problem solving

I have three mop head hydrangeas that desperately need dead heading.  When is the best time to do this as I'm getting conflicting views when I search the internet. Thank you for any advice given.

Posts

  • FairygirlFairygirl Posts: 55,117

    Many people leave the heads on over winter as it can help protect new growth etc when there's a hard frost just at the wrong moment.

    If you're in an area where you don't really get frosts or sever cold spells, you can dead head them. I can understand wanting to do that as they can look pretty manky once they're completely dead!

    Last edited: 09 October 2017 13:12:08

    It's a place where beautiful isn't enough of a word....



    I live in west central Scotland - not where that photo is...
  • SummergardenSummergarden Posts: 30

    I leave mine on till the new growth gets growing

  • diane75lawsondiane75lawson Posts: 2

    I leave my Mop heads till Spring.   Take off when new shoots are visible

  • AuntyRachAuntyRach Posts: 5,291

    There is a sweet-spot when the dry heads are good for collecting for dried flower displays (My Granny used to spray them gold for Christmas), but once they go brown they do look scruffy. I leave mine over Winter to protect new buds, as some others have said. I do have one that is quite leggy now, so I might prune that back and see what comes of it. 

    Last edited: 10 October 2017 09:12:08

    My garden and I live in South Wales. 
  • LynLyn Posts: 23,190

    If I want to do a big prune, ie cutting out branches completely from the base, I do it now, other than that I I leave dead heading until very late Spring, I had done it in March before, then the frost nips the tops of the buds, so i leave it until April now. 

    Gardening on the wild, windy west side of Dartmoor. 

  • FairygirlFairygirl Posts: 55,117

    I agree with you AuntyR. They tend to look nicest when they have that faded colouring (IMO)  but they look awful when they go brown. We get so much rain that they look dreadful very quickly, and I'm afraid I'd rather remove them than leave them on. They really don't stay on the plants over winter here , so there wouldn't be any protection for new growth anyway.

    I've lost count of the clatty looking hydrangeas I've seen over the years!  image

    It's a place where beautiful isn't enough of a word....



    I live in west central Scotland - not where that photo is...
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