Do you cut off old hydrangea blooms?
Hydrangea aspera, Hydrangea serrata and Hydrangea quercifolia are also lightly pruned in spring – just remove old flower heads and old, crossing or long stems and in a similar way to mopheads and lacecaps.
Should I cut back hydrangeas?
To get bigger flowers, cut them all the way back In late winter or early spring, these shrubs can be cut all the way back to the ground. Smooth hydrangeas will produce much larger blooms if pruned hard like this each year, but many gardeners opt for smaller blooms on sturdier stems.
What is the proper way to prune hydrangeas?
Prune back stems to just above a fat bud — called a heading cut — in fall, late winter or spring. These plants have conical-shaped flower heads. I recommend leaving the dry, tan flower heads on the plant to provide some winter interest in your landscape, so I wait to prune these until late winter or spring.
What happens if you don’t prune your hydrangeas?
What happens if you don’t prune hydrangeas? If you don’t prune hydrangeas then they can eventually resemble a tangled mass of woody stems, and the flowers will become smaller and less showy. Regular pruning of hydrangeas helps to maintain their shape and also encourages new growth and a better display of blooms.
What happens if you don’t deadhead hydrangeas?
If you simply skip deadheading hydrangeas, no harm will come to your plant. At least nothing so serious that you should stress about it. Your hydrangea may not produce as many blooms as if spent blooms would have been removed, nor the blooms will be very large. But it will still bloom, regardless.
Should I cut back my hydrangeas for winter?
Hydrangeas that bloom on new wood require pruning in late winter or early spring. Prune to shape, cutting back to about two feet. The pruning promotes new, sturdy growth, which provides the blooms next season.
How far do you cut back hydrangeas in the fall?
Pruning the plants to leave 18 to 24 inches allows a woody base to develop that helps stems better support the pompom blooms.