When it comes to hydrangea pruning, timing is everything. If done at the wrong time, it can result in a lack of or no blooms that year. Here’s how to get it right
Many gardeners find themselves at odds with the delicate art of pruning – especially when it comes to hydrangeas where timing is crucial.
Pruning at the wrong moment can lead to a disappointing season without blooms. In a quest for guidance, one concerned gardener reached out on the Gardening UK Facebook page. Blair Brown posted: “Hello wise gardeners in my phone. Any advice on how to look after my hydrangeas now it’s getting frosty?”
Adding: “The foliage is going brown. It didn’t bloom this year and I’m sure it’s because I pruned it at the wrong time.” Accompanying the plea was a photo of the lacklustre hydrangea.
Fellow green-fingered enthusiasts advised Klair to steer clear of further pruning until spring. Robert Requena advised: “Leave them be till after last frost next April, or even May. Then you can gently prune.”
Liz Minstry recommended: “Don’t prune as that will protect next year’s new growth. Leave until the spring when the risk of frost has passed.” Mark Wilson reassured: “It’s fine, just leave it and hopefully it will flower next year, don’t prune it either until spring.”
Jack Ingram shared his success story: “My hydrangeas have been pruned down at the same time every year – early spring – and have bloomed perfect massive amount of flowers.”
Flummoxed garden enthusiasts have been scratching their heads about hydrangea plants failing to bloom, , reports the Express. Lynne Wilkins suggested: “Nothing wrong – just winter doing its thing – mine didn’t bloom either but I think I cut it back too much.”
And Basis Walus advised fellow green-thumbed folk to hold fire on snipping: “Leave it as is and you’ll see that it will bounce back in spring after pruning.”
In the same vein, gardening gurus are preaching patience when it comes to hydrangeas. Experts at the Royal Horticultural Society recommend timing your cuts: “Most pruning is carried out in late winter or early spring. However, climbing hydrangeas are pruned after flowering in summer.”
Additionally, experts from Thompson and Morgan detailed the difference in approach between the types of the popular shrub: “When it comes to pruning, the two main varieties of hydrangea are those that produce blooms on the previous year’s growth (old wood) and those that produce flowers on new growth.”
The advice for growers came clear as a bell: “Both types are best pruned in February-March, but the method is different for each.”