Your Hydrangea Already Has Next Summer's Flowers On It — Don't Cut Them Off, by Harlan's Garden on YouTube. 12 min 41 s.
- Video length
- 12 min 41 s
- Time to do it
- 20 minutes
- Difficulty
- Easy
- Steps
- 10
What you need
Steps
Identify your hydrangea before cutting anything. Look at the flower shape: round and coloured, cone shaped, white and floppy, oak leaves, or climbing.
If it has round coloured flowers, leave it alone in autumn. Next summer's blooms sit on the old stems. Prune only after flowering next summer if needed.
If it has oak shaped leaves, leave it alone too. It flowers on old wood, so autumn cutting removes buds. Tidy only dead or broken stems in spring.
For cone shaped hydrangeas, wait until spring. Cut them back in late winter or early spring because they flower on new growth.
For white floppy types such as Annabelle, also wait until spring. Cut the whole plant back then, not in autumn.
Leave climbing hydrangeas alone. They flower on old wood and rarely need pruning. Remove only damaged growth after flowering.
Do not feed the plant now. Autumn feeding can push soft new growth that winter damages. Wait until spring.
Leave the dead flower heads on through winter. They protect the buds below and look good in frost. Cut them off in spring if you want.
Protect the lower stems from rabbits. Wrap a guard around the stems or use a small mesh cage, because rabbits can ring the bark and kill the stems.
Mulch around the base, but keep it clear of the stems. A 5 to 8 cm layer of compost or bark helps hold moisture and protect roots.
Tips and common mistakes
Wear stout gloves and use sharp bypass pruners when cutting stems, as blunt blades crush the wood.
Do not treat every hydrangea the same way; the flower shape tells you whether it blooms on old or new wood.
If you are unsure which type you have, leave it uncut until it flowers, then prune straight after flowering.
Keep mulch a few centimetres away from the stems to avoid rot and pest damage.
Questions
Why did my hydrangea not flower this year?
It may have been pruned in autumn or spring before flowering, cutting off buds formed the previous summer. Leave old wood types uncut until after they bloom.
Can I cut off the brown flower heads in autumn?
It is better to leave them on through winter. They protect the buds below and can be removed in spring.
When should I prune a cone shaped hydrangea?
In late winter or early spring. It flowers on new growth, so cutting it then gives you flowers the same year.
This guide was drafted from the video's details and general task knowledge. It has not been checked against the full video. Check the video and relevant product instructions before following a procedure. Report a correction.
