Hydrangea Madame Emile Mouillère pruning

jaffacakes · April 2023

Hi all,

I have this hydrangea that hasn't flowered after being moved 2 years ago, it was fine in previous location. The leaves in the tips do not look great. As it hasn't flowered, I wasn't going to prune it but I wonder should it be cut back to 2 strong shoots on each stem? The fresh foliage at base looks good but the foliage on the old stems doesn't look great.

There hasn't been many frosts this year but I am covering it with fleece now if frosts are forecast so it doesn't get set back.

I'm hoping for some flowers this year or it will be moved to a more sheltered spots or planted in a big pot. For nutrition, all I give it is a handful of blood fish and bone each year.

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Lyn · April 2023

You can cut it back to strong buds and get it into a better shape, that won’t make it flower better though but make it look better.
I’d take some of those long branches back to the green shoots at the base.

Plantminded · April 2023

Your Hydrangea flowers on old wood, i.e. last year's stems, so if you remove the growing tips from any stems, they won't flower this year. You could prune out any weak, spindly or dead stems or those crossing over and rubbing on others to attain a better open framework, leaving the more robust stems with their growing tips to flower this year.

What is the difference between the plant's former location and its current one? If it's in more sun now, it could be that the soil is not moist enough to sustain healthy growth. You could remedy this by relocating the shrub to a similar location that it was previously in or improving the soil in its current location to retain more moisture by adding a mulch of organic matter and keeping the plant well watered if there's been no rain.

jaffacakes · April 2023

Thanks for replies. Last location was more planted among plants so maybe was a bit more sheltered. Now it's in open lawn by itself in it's own bed. I don't think moisture was a problem. Has lush green foliage last 2 years but no flowers and I didn't even prune it.

Hopefully it's settled in by now and will produce flowers again. I might only take out a few weak spindly stems to base only.

I wonder would lots of nutrients prevent it from flowering. I buried my deceased cat

in this location so there could have been excess nitrogen possibly. I did notice the grass growth around the area really strong too. Sorry, a bit morbid but could have been the cause.

Fairygirl · April 2023

They take a bit of time to re establish after moving them, so I wouldn't worry too much about the lack of flowers. The correct pruning will help

As long as the soil is right, the level of moisture and drainage is right, and there's enough shade from searing mid day sun, it should be fine.
You can give it some slow release food, but it probably won't make much of a difference if the soil's in good condition. Regular additions of organic matter are always better for shrubs than extra, artificial feed.

I don't think I've ever fed hydrangeas once they've been planted. A bit of BF&B on planting and that's it.

I doubt a dead animal would make any appreciable difference.

Lyn · April 2023

Plantminded said:

Your Hydrangea flowers on old wood, i.e. last year's stems, so if you remove the growing tips from any stems, they won't flower this year. You could prune out any weak, spindly or dead stems or those crossing over and rubbing on others to attain a better open framework, leaving the more robust stems with their growing tips to flower this year.

What is the difference between the plant's former location and its current one? If it's in more sun now, it could be that the soil is not moist enough to sustain healthy growth. You could remedy this by relocating the shrub to a similar location that it was previously in or improving the soil in its current location to retain more moisture by adding a mulch of organic matter and keeping the plant well watered if there's been no rain.

If you cut them down to another leaf bud, they will flower on that one, I don’t think they only flower on the tips.

Plantminded · April 2023

I usually deadhead my Hydrangea macrophylla in about March @Lyn and it then flowers from the buds developing below. One year I reduced all the stems by about a third to tidy the plant up and got no flowers at all. Is there a point at which you can prune the old wood back and still get flowers the same year?

punkdoc · April 2023

I often take the tips off too, and cut back to the first pair of buds. Works fine.

Lyn · April 2023

As we live in a cold bleak area, I don’t cut them down until mid April, we get late frosts and the buds will blacken, still got a couple to do now.

As Punkdoc says, you can cut the tips off, if you can find a double shoot, even better.

I don’t like to do the third out type pruning, I leave them for about 3 years then cut the whole plant down, I wouldn’t rather have a thick green bush with no flowers than a weaker looking one with some flowers.

We rotate what gets cut back and what gets left so there’s always some in flower.

If you live in a warm sheltered area I’ve read that you can cut them down immediately after flowering and theyłl grow enough to flower next year.
I haven’t tried it, I don’t think it would work for me as they flower much later here than in warmer areas.

Plantminded · April 2023

Thank you very much for your explanation @Lyn, that’s very helpful.

bédé · April 2023

My favourite white mophead hydrangea. Even purer white if blued a bit.

The strong growth from the base should (hopefully) flower this year. If cut back to the stongest bud, or pair, on each long stem, they may flower also.

"There hasn't been many frosts this year ..." Wow! Where are you? But beware late ground frosts when the sap is rising. In Surrey we are not safe until June.

Hydrangea Madame Emile Mouillère pruning

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