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Standard Hydrangea limelight

andy.mchughandy.mchugh Posts: 21
in Problem solving
Hi All

i wondered if anyone could advise what i should be doing with these standard hydrangea's now the flowers have died back? the advice on the label was to cut them down to 30cm from the ground but perhaps this doesn't reflect these are standard variety?

thanks




Posts

  • andy.mchughandy.mchugh Posts: 21

  • DovefromaboveDovefromabove Posts: 88,147
    No. Don’t cut them hard back!!!! Definitely not!!!

    I’ve never had a standard hydrangea but I know that would be totally wrong!!!

    Im sure someone who knows about standard hydrangeas will come along soon … but until then keep those secateurs firmly shut 😉 

    Gardening in Central Norfolk on improved gritty moraine over chalk ... free-draining.





  • punkdocpunkdoc Posts: 15,039
    Agree with @Dovefromabove, although I don’t grow them either. I would do nothing till Spring and then chop off the old flowers.
    How can you lie there and think of England
    When you don't even know who's in the team

    S.Yorkshire/Derbyshire border
  • GardenerSuzeGardenerSuze Posts: 5,692
    @andy.mchugh You should be enjoying the dried flowers over the winter. An extra season of interest. Agree don't remove the flowerheads they protect the newly forming flower bud. Removing flowers as late as early April would be my advice in the Midlands. Too soon and a late frost will leave you with no flowers at all next year.
    I have worked as a Gardener for 24 years. My latest garden is a new build garden on heavy clay.
  • LoxleyLoxley Posts: 5,698
    If they're grown as a bush you can cut them back hard to a strong framework 30-60cm above the ground. As a standard, you would cut them back to a similar framework - but 30-60cm from where the branches emanate from the main stem. Usually done in late winter or very early spring, they flower on new wood.
    "What is hateful to you, do not do to your neighbour". 
  • GardenerSuzeGardenerSuze Posts: 5,692
    @andy.mchugh Sorry I had no idea H Flowered on new wood thanks @Loxley. I did prune a Hydranga at the wrong time of year long ago and there were no flowers that year. I like the dried flowers personally.
    I have worked as a Gardener for 24 years. My latest garden is a new build garden on heavy clay.
  • bédébédé Posts: 3,095
    edited October 2022
    "Limelight" is not your usual Hydrangea macrophylla, but Hydrangea paniculata, which should be pruned in the spring without sacrifcing flowers..

     It is hardier than macropylla but I would still beware of spring frosts when the sap is first rising.

     Obviously, don't cut down the main stem.  I would prune the top quite hard in spring to keep its mop-head effect. Probably back to close to where it was last pruned.

    Depending on where you live, I would protect it a bit the first winter. Either by moving it closer to the house, or with bubble-wrap around the pot and the stem. Some fleece over the head should also help.
     location: Surrey Hills, England, ex-woodland acidic sand.
    "Have nothing in your garden that you don't know to be useful, or believe to be beautiful."
  • GardenerSuzeGardenerSuze Posts: 5,692
    edited October 2022
    To protect both plant and pot you could put some pot feet underneath. This gives air a chance to circulate under the pot during the winter months and excess water can flow freely out of the bottom. The gravel in your garden will help with the drainage as long as the pot drainage holes are not blocked. 
    I have worked as a Gardener for 24 years. My latest garden is a new build garden on heavy clay.
  • luis_prluis_pr Posts: 123
    edited October 2022
    The plant label may have been made using information from pruning Limelights in shrub form. Limelight trees do not need to be readied much for winter. Some people just mulch with 7-10 cm of organic mulch past the specified width in the plant label (usually over 2 meters) and provide supplemental water if winter is very dry (once every two weeks maybe?). As the leaf buds begin to form in spring, you can deadhead the spent blooms and perform some pruning if necessary. To avoid heavy wind or heavy snow damage in winter, consider deadheading and pruning as soon as the tree goes dormant. Consider deadheading early if the tree has developed leaf spotting to avoid spreading the spores in the blooms. But after a while, it may be impractical to deadhead some mature trees that exceed your reach. In general, some pruning of Limelight trees and shrubs is otherwise fine as this cultivar is typically extremely vigorous.

    This following link has a video showing how to prune Limelight (or other paniculatas) in shrub form and in standard form: https://www.provenwinners.com/videos/how-prune-your-hydrangea-standard


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