Do You Trim Hydrangeas After They Bloom?

This article provides a simple guide on pruning climbing hydrangeas, oakleaf hydrangeas, smooth and panicle types, and bigleaf hydrangeas. For climbing hydrangeas, cut back any over-long shoots immediately after flowering. Oakleaf hydrangeas should be pruned in summer after the flowers fade, using sharp, clean pruners to make cuts just above a set of leaves. For smooth hydrangeas, choose early spring after they have begun to show new leaf buds. If your hydrangea is looking weak or unhealthy, you may need additional pruning.

For bigleaf hydrangeas, trim back stems to a set of healthy buds after the flowers have faded in late summer before the plant begins to go dormant. Use sharp, clean trimmers to cut stems just higher than a pair of leaves. For a heavier prune, remove gray, older, or dead stems during winter.

Hydragotes that bloom on new wood can be safely pruned in late fall once the plants have gone dormant or in early spring. Trim back stems to just above a fat bud, called a heading cut, in fall, late winter, or spring. Big-leafy hydrangeas should be pruned after flowering stops in summer. Deadheading is a process where spent blossoms are removed to put energy into seed production. Climbing hydrangeas like Hydrangea anomola subsp. petiolaris and Hydrangea seemannii should not be pruned until after they have flowered in summer.