Pruning hydrangea

Posts

• Perki Posts: 2,527

  3 February

  Do you know what type of hydrangea you have? Put a picture on if you're unsure

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• Harrysmum1 Posts: 5

  3 February

  I think it's a lacecap large flowers...

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• Obelixx Posts: 30,090

  3 February

  The question arises because some hydrangeas flower on old wood and some on new and that makes a big difference to pruning techniques.
  
  If it's a mop head or lacecap it flowers on old wood so you wait till spring and then remove the faded flower heads carefully so you don't damage the flower buds sheltering behind them.   If the shrub is geting too big and sprawly you can do renovation pruning which simply means taking out one third of its stems back to the base.  Select those with the oldest looking bark.   this way you leave plenty of flowering stems and renew your plants over 3 years and restrict its spread.
  
  If you have a paniculata hydrangea you can prune it back hard once the worst frosts are over.   It will produce new flowering stems.  You can also do the selective pruning of stems if you want your shrub to get bigger.
  
  Giving the shrubs of either kind a good spring feed and a mulch will maintain health and flowering vigour.

  Vendée - 20kms from Atlantic coast.
  

  "The price good men (and women) pay for indifference to public affairs is to be ruled by evil men (and women)."

  Plato
  

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• Harrysmum1 Posts: 5

  3 February

  Lovely that's great thank you.
  It's getting rather large hence the big pruning last year it grew beautifully but with only a handful of flowers so this method sounds like a good plan.

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