Most hydrangeas are pruned in late winter, between the end of February and mid-March, just before new growth starts. The exception: bigleaf hydrangeas and other kinds that flower on last year’s wood are pruned straight after flowering in summer, otherwise you remove next year’s flower buds.
Why does timing matter so much?
Depending on the species, hydrangeas form their flower buds on different wood. Panicle hydrangeas and smooth hydrangeas flower on the current year’s wood, so they cope well with pruning in late winter. Bigleaf and lacecap hydrangeas, on the other hand, flower on last year’s wood. If you prune them in winter, you cut off exactly the shoots that would carry the flowers in summer.
How can I tell which hydrangea grows in my garden?
The shape of the flowers usually gives the species away. Round flower heads made up of many small florets point to a bigleaf hydrangea. Long, cone-shaped panicles mean a panicle hydrangea. If in doubt, the plant label or comparing the variety name with the nursery or reference books will help before you reach for the secateurs.
What happens if I prune too late or too early?
Pruning too late in spring, once the buds have broken, weakens the plant unnecessarily, because it has already put energy into new shoots. Pruning last year’s wood too early, in autumn or winter, costs you the whole of next year’s flowering. A simple rule: look at which wood carried the last flowers, rather than pruning on a fixed date for every variety.
How do I prune step by step?
Both groups share the first step: use sharp, clean secateurs for clean cuts that heal faster, and first remove dead, brown or dried-out wood back to green, healthy tissue. After that, how hard you prune depends very much on the species:
Panicle and smooth hydrangeas (flower on new wood): these tolerate hard pruning. Cut the stems back to one or two pairs of strong buds above the ground to encourage dense growth and larger panicles.
Bigleaf and lacecap hydrangeas (flower on old wood): these only need thinning, not hard pruning. Leave this year’s shoots with flower buds in place and remove only the oldest, bare stems at ground level – hard pruning like for panicle hydrangeas would cost next year’s flowers here.
Well-timed pruning is just one of many care tasks that add up over a season. Find out on the page How Maluna works how Maluna links these tasks to your garden and the season.