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Hydrangeas are among the most popular garden plants and are at home in almost every garden. But uncertainty spreads among many hobby gardeners when it comes to cutting. Different rules apply here. In the plant guide you can find out which rules apply to which species and what special attention must be paid to them.
Importance of the right cut
While general cutting recommendations apply to many plants, the hydrangea is sensitive to improper pruning. The garden plants with the botanical name "Hydrangea" are divided into two groups with regard to cutting. The most important thing here is when and how much they should be cut. The right time in combination with the amount of pruning decides whether the hydrangea will bloom in full splendor in the coming garden season or whether you will have to do without a flower completely that year.
grouping
cutting group 1
This grouping of hydrangea species and varieties are specimens that are already preparing for the next flowering season in autumn. Here they develop new shoots and terminal flower buds. If you look closely, you can see them in autumn. When you carefully open the still small buds, you can see the new inflorescences for the following year. If you cut back the hydrangeas too far in autumn or spring, you will also remove numerous shoots and flower buds. As a result, the hydrangea will bloom significantly less and, in the worst case, the flowers will not bloom at all.
Hydrangea species/cultivars belonging to this group:
- All farmer's hydrangea varieties (Hydrangea macrophylla)
- Oakleaf Hydrangea (Hydrangea quercifolia)
- Climbing Hydrangea (Hydrangea petiolaris)
- Giant-Leaf Hydrangea (Hydrangea aspera 'Macrophylla')
- Velvet Hydrangea (Hydrangea sargentiana)
- Plate hydrangea (Hydrangea serrata)
Velvet hydrangea, Hydrangea sargentiana
cutting time
This is the best time to prune a hydrangea that belongs to this group early spring. In autumn, due to the cold snap that can occur at any time, a larger pruning should be avoided. This is based on the most existing frost sensitivity, which the Hydrangea from this grouping predominantly exhibits. The risk of frostbite damage is too great, since larger cuts favor it.
In addition, every pruning weakens a plant, which also makes it much more difficult to get through the winter without frost damage. In particular, the buds that have already formed for the following year could freeze to death and thus impair the blooming splendor immensely. Therefore, the following applies to the hydrangeas in this group: it is best to only cut them in spring, although old, withered flowers can be removed without hesitation in autumn.
This is how the cut succeeds
If the hydrangea has survived the winter well, a strong pruning should generally be avoided. A large-scale pruning or radical pruning is only recommended if it has severe frostbite or illnesses have weakened it enormously. The flowers will not bloom that year, but ideally you will save her life. In the following year you can look forward all the more to a generous bloom. Here you can shorten the hydrangea up to a maximum of 20 cm above the ground. It must at least one pair of flowers remain.
Otherwise, in the fall, remove as much as possible withered flowers. In early spring, pruning should be done as follows:
- Remove old inflorescence if not already done in fall (usually located above the new buds)
- Cut off frozen parts of the plant down to the healthy/green area - in the case of severe frostbite, cut off near the ground
- Thinning out: old shoots are shortened to ground level, especially from the inside of the plant
- Thin shoots that do not have buds should be shortened by a few centimeters so that they gain strength
In spring, the old inflorescence above the new buds should be removed.
tip: You can test whether a shoot is frozen by scratching or scratching the bark. If green tissue appears, there is no frostbite. Dead plant parts show a dark or yellowish-green tissue colouration.
exception
An exception for cutting is the Endless Summer farmer's hydrangea variety. It is the only one that sprout again even after severe pruning and cutting off inflorescences that had already formed in autumn. This means that more can be cut off, which is useful, for example, if it grows too powerful for you. You don't have to do without flowering that year, although it will start flowering later after a hard pruning. If there is no need for severe pruning, it should be avoided so that the flowers provide a decorative eye-catcher as early and as long as possible.
Incidentally, removing the first withered flowers in summer encourages new shoots.
cutting group 2
The second group of hydrangeas are species that form their inflorescences from spring onwards. These include only two hydrangeas with all different varieties:
- Panicles (Hydrangea paniculata)
- Snowball (Hydrangea arborescens)
Snowball Hydrangea, Hydrangea arborescens
cutting time
Pruning can be done in both fall and spring - and you can prune at both times. This is useful if you are already cutting back your summer bloomers in late fall and in spring when shoots are frozen or soggy from a wet winter.
The harder you cut back, especially in spring, the stronger the hydrangeas in this group will sprout again. It is important here that the pruning in time carried out so that flowering can begin early. The task should be completed by the end of February or the beginning of March at the latest.
This is how the cut succeeds
Whether once or twice a year, pruning should be done as follows:
- Cut old shoots from the previous year down to the bottom pair of eyes - this must remain
- Cut off thin and weak shoots at the shoot or near the ground
- Thin out the inside of the plant, completely remove old and dried out parts of the plant
- In the spring, cut off the frozen parts of the plant
- Remove faded flowers in autumn
