Key to Pruning Hydrangeas

 

Hydrangeas are prized in landscaping for their beautiful, bouncy summer blooms. You should know, pruning hydrangeas isn’t a requirement to keep these plants full and happy. However, many decide to prune to control the shape and height of their plant, and to encourage more blooms. The more the better, right?

To begin, you need one vital piece of information before chopping up your beloved shrub: is your hydrangea an “old wood” or “new wood” growth type? Knowing your plant’s growth pattern could be the difference between little to no blooms, or prolific, bountiful summer blooms!

There are multiple types of hydrangeas, many of which you can shop for at Sunshine Garden Center, and each one of them falls into either the “old wood” or “new wood” category. The difference relates to at what point in the season the buds of the flowers will set. Use your identification tag on the plant to pinpoint the type of hydrangea you have; bigleaf, oakleaf, climbing, mountain, panicle, or smooth. If you no longer have access to the identification tag, here are two methods at identifying your type of hydrangea.

When the plant is blooming

• Old wood: Stiffer, tougher, thicker stalks supporting the blooms. Grey/ Brown color
• New wood: Flexible, soft, greenish stalks supporting the blooms

In the fall

• Old wood: Buds will have formed for next year’s blooms
• New wood: Will not have buds formed on the stalks

Old wood:

• Types: Bigleaf, oakleaf, climbing, mountain hydrangeas
• Bud set timing: Next year’s buds are set right after flowers are done blooming this year
• Prune timing: Immediately after the flowers are done blooming
• Pruning tips: Take out a few of the older and thicker stalks to control the size and shape of the plant. 

New wood:

• Types: Panicle and smooth
• Bud set timing: In the spring of the same bloom year
• Prune timing: Late winter or early spring. Early spring pruning may encourage more flowers
• Pruning tips: Remove faded blooms in late summer/ fall and prune out the oldest canes in early spring. 

Some varieties have both new and old wood blooms to increase the aesthetic appeal of the plant. In all other cases, it is essential to identify the growth type of your hydrangea for proper maintenance and care of the plant (not to mention getting the most fun & color out of it!) If you have any questions or need help identifying what your hydrangea needs, stop by Sunshine Garden Center and ask for Courtney.