Where Should I Trim My Hydrangeas?

This article provides a simple guide on pruning climbing hydrangeas, even if you don’t know the species. To prune climbing hydrangeas, cut back any over-long shoots immediately after flowering, using sharp, clean trimmers to cut stems just above a pair of leaves. For heavier pruning, remove gray, older, or dead stems during winter. If a plant is overgrown, prune back about a third of the stems.

For hydrangeas that flower on new wood, choose early spring after they have begun to show new leaf buds. When trimming back stems, make cuts just above a set of leaves with sharp, clean pruners. For best results, use rubbing alcohol, heat, bleach, or hydrogen peroxide to clean your pruners.

If you want larger blooms, try cutting your hydrangea back to the ground in early spring. If you see any green, the branch is alive. If your hydrangea is looking weak and unhealthy, or if you need to remedy a problem with legginess or woodiness, you may need to do some additional pruning.

Climbing hydrangeas are pruned after flowering in summer. If you need to do a severe pruning to rejuvenate a spindly shrub, cut all branches back to about a foot above the ground in late winter. Cut back to just above a pair of healthy buds on each stem for big flowers or less hard for a natural look. Prune in early spring, just as leaves are beginning to show.

For example, if your hydrangea is six feet tall, it is safe to prune as much as two feet off the top and sides. Prune about a third of the stems a little harder down the stem to get good foliage and prune the rest for big flowers in summer.