Hydrangea

james-HYumfQs · 21 February

Hello everyone, Just wanted some advice with this very large hydrangea trimmed it back last year and it had so many flowers. It looks stunning. I always trim back to the nearest bud. However, fresh shoots are coming out earlier this year and I probably should have pruned it earlier but I tend to wait till around March or early spring. Would it be safe to do so now or shall I wait till later and just lose some of the new buds and go back to the newer lower down ones? Thanks

james-HYumfQs · 21 February

james-HYumfQs · 21 February

Fairygirl · 21 February

I would only prune it back if you're in a reliably frost free area. It's still only February.

james-HYumfQs · 21 February

Thanks. I'm down in the South near Reading RG10. But as you say not out of the woods yet with the frosts. I guess it's okay to lose some of the new shoots so long as I cut down to a bud? Need to reduce it by half really as it's getting too big

Fairygirl · 21 February

You can certainly take some stems/branches back further as long as you accept the loss of flowers. It's one of the ways of doing a general rejuvenation with them anyway. Some people take around a third of the plant right back to the base, and then do the same over the next two years with the other two thirds. That then means you still get some flowers each year. Or, you can just cut the whole thing back at one go and forego flowers altogether for that season.
The more common pale pinks and blues will take cutting back hard more readily than some of the other cultivated types too

ViewAhead · 21 February

I've done mine, but I am only a few miles up from the south coast and they are in sheltered positions. As Fairygirl says, if you cut back too far, you will lose flowers for this yr. I made this mistake a couple of times in the past. Now I just go back to the first pair of healthy buds for most of the bush and maybe remove a few older branches that are looking bare or crossing the path of healthier ones.

Jacquimcmahon · 21 February

I had no choice after the horrible months of rain, but warm temps. The old flower heads which I leave on had gone soggy and mouldy the new buds were getting affected by the mould so I had to prune at least the old heads and in some stems further back. If we get any frost I will cover with some light fabric for some protection. Been a weird winter and I definitely have buds much further advanced than normal, fingers crossed for the next few weeks.

Hydrangea

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