Hydrangeas flower in mid to late summer, meaning you need to put the work in now (Image: Getty)
Hydrangeas are an excellent way to add some colour and life to your garden. Coming in a range of vibrant hues, they tend to burst into bloom in mid to late summer, meaning it’s important to put the work in beforehand.
Carrying out the right maintenance tasks in the spring will ensure your hard work is rewarded in the summer. And according to the experts at the , there’s one thing every gardener should do annually for a ‘better flowering display’ on their hydrangeas. Expert Dave Blackwell explained in a YouTube video that early spring is the best time to prune these flowers, and for a very good reason.
Pruning hydrangeas in early spring will help them to bloom more in summer (Image: Getty)
Demonstrating on the flowers, he said: “You’ve got two different types [of hydrangeas], lacecaps and mopheads, both pruned in exactly the same way.
“We’re doing this in early spring when the new foliage is just starting to emerge. And we’re doing it generally to refresh the bush, and promote good flowering display and keep it in good shape.”
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How to prune hydrangeas
The key thing to remember when pruning hydrangeas is that the buds can be knocked off pretty easily, so be careful when handling them. You also want to focus on cutting off the dead wood, favouring the new wood, because the old wood won’t carry any flowers.
Prune the old wood off your plant down to one of the new buds, as this will help prevent dieback.
Hydrangeas will bloom more beautifully if they’re pruned annually – and you can do it now (Image: Getty)
You might find that you’ve got a lot of old wood, which tends to be grey in colour. Don’t be afraid to ‘go hard’ when pruning this, as you may have to cut it pretty much to the base.
One ‘important thing’ to remember is that you have two choices, according to Dave. He said: “You can leave the terminal bud on the new wood – this will give you one big flower.
“Or you can prune it down to the two buds below which will give you two smaller flowers.”
And if you find that the new wood has some frost damage from the winter, all you need to do is prune it to the last healthy bud.
Dave added: “While you’re pruning you will probably cut off all of the deadheads anyway, but just in case there are any left at the end just cut them off.”
Pruning your plants now will help to promote new growth, and a ‘better flowering display’ – so it’s definitely worth doing.