How Do I Get My Hydrangea To Bloom

How to Prune Hydrangeas

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Technically, you don't have to prune your hydrangeas, but you can if they get too big or too tall for the space where you planted them. Pruning them also helps increase the number of blooms and their brightness. The problem is that even the most experienced gardeners often don't know when or how to do it. Doing it at the wrong time can prevent your hydrangea bush from blooming or having vibrant blooms the next year. Avoid that mistake by following these tips:

Know When to Prune

The question many gardeners often have is when to prune their hydrangeas, not how. Because once you know when to do it, the actual act of pruning isn't too difficult. Knowing when to prune, however, can be confusing. One way to determine when is by knowing when your shrub typically blooms. If your hydrangea blooms in spring, you'll want to prune it in late summer or fall when those blooms begin to fade. If your hydrangea typically blooms in summer or fall, prune in winter or early spring.

Identify Your Shrub

Another way to determine when to prune is by identifying the type of hydrangea you own. Take a look at the most common types and their pruning schedules:

If you have panicle, smooth, annabelle, snowball or PG hydrangeas, prune in late winter
For bigleaf, mountain, mophead, hortensia, oakleaf or lacecap hydrangeas, prune after it finishes blooming, usually in later summer
Climbing hydrangeas should also be pruned during the summer after they've finished blooming

Remove Faded and Old Blooms

No matter the time of year, you can provide your hydrangea with a little basic pruning and maintenance, but be careful not to go crazy or you may end up with a plant that doesn't bloom next year. Deadhead old blooms whenever you want, but just be sure to cut them with short stems above the top set of leaves.

Remove Old Wood

You can also remove any old or dead wood anytime you like, but be sure it doesn't have new buds on it that are preparing for the next bloom — otherwise, you won't have many blooms at all. If they don't have any buds or growth on them, you can remove them from as far down as the soil line. Removing most of the old dead wood can also help increase your plant's vigor and beauty for next year. However, if you find that your blooms are large already, but they tend to flop over, you may want to leave a little old wood for support.

Pruning for Arrangements

Hydrangea blooms make beautiful centerpiece, arrangements and bouquet, so you may find that you want to cut them for this purpose. In this case, you'll do it just as the bloom develops. Cut the stem diagonally and do it early in the morning to ensure the plant stays as moisturized as possible. Keep in mind that hydrangeas tend to wilt quickly once they're cut compared to most flowers. You can help preserve them by soaking them in cool water for a couple of hours before arranging them and keeping them out of direct sunlight.