How To Trim Hydrangeas To Encourage Regrowth?

The best way to care for hydrangeas depends on the type of plant you have. To prune hydrangeas, choose early spring after they have begun to show new leaf buds, just before new growth occurs. For climbing hydrangeas, cut back any over-long shoots immediately after flowering, as most flowers are produced on new growth. Climbing hydrangeas need light pruning, mostly cleaning out dead wood and any wild, hanging branches. If necessary, heavy pruning can be done.

Pruning your hydrangea at the wrong time could result in a sad summer with no blooms. The best time to prune is either just before or just after your Hydrangea’s growing and flowering period. If you need to do a severe pruning to rejuvenate a spindly shrub, cut all the branches back to about a foot above the ground in late winter or early spring when it’s still dormant. This will cause the plant to produce lots of fresh new growth, and you’ll still see flowers later that same year.

Hydrangeas that bloom on new wood can be safely pruned in late fall once the plants have gone dormant or in early spring. Cut out one or two of the oldest stems at the base to encourage the production of new, replacement growth that will produce more flowers. When trimming back stems, make your cuts just above a set of leaves with sharp, clean pruners.

To cut hydrangea blooms, wait until the morning when it’s cool so they look fresher. Then, locate a large, mature bloom and follow the stem down to where it’s located. Cut back in early spring, pruning last year’s growth back to a healthy framework between 30cm and 60cm high.