Hydrangeas are one of the most common garden plants. To properly maintain and prune them you need some extra information about the different Hydrangeas. There is a subdivision into three types of hydrangeas that you should take into account when pruning. There are hydrangeas that bloom on the new wood. These are the new young stems that will grow after the winter. There are also Hydrangeas that flower on the old wood, the branches that were formed the year before the winter. And a small group of Hydrangeas bloom on both the old and new wood.

When to prune hydrangea

Depending on the hydrangea variety you own, the period when you can start pruning can be determined. In principle you do not need to prune a hydrangea that flowers on the old wood. It is sufficient to cut away the old flowers. A hydrangea that blooms on the young wood should be pruned early in the year.  If you want to keep the plant compact, prune the entire plant back to branches of about 15 centimeters. If you want the plant to be larger, then prune back less.

Cut hydrangea

Cutting away the flowers is as simple as it sounds. You take a sharp pair of secateurs and cut away the flower and about 10/15 cm of the stem below it. If there is one, cut above an eye. An eye is a point where a leaf will grow. You can do this after flowering, but no later than March, before the young leaves reappear. In winter you can enjoy the winter skeleton of the hydrangea. The frost and snow gives the plant a beautiful silhouette.

prune hydrangea in fall

Prune hydrangea in fall

When you want to prune your Hydrangea because it has grown too large, you have three different options. You can use these pruning methods at almost any time of the year. However, it is advisable to do this after flowering for the simple reason that you can still enjoy the flowers if you do. In any case, never prune in a period of frost.

  • Option 1 and also the best option is that you rejuvenate the plant in three stages per year. Each year you prune back one-third to half of the plant. You start with the branches that have grown the biggest, tallest and widest and the oldest branches. You cut off these branches just above the ground. Because two-third of the plant remains intact you still get a bloom with large flowers.
  • Option 2 is to cut one-third to one-half the length of the entire plant. So if your hydrangea is one meter tall, you cut off all the branches to a hight of 50 centimeters. The plant will still flower. It makes several flowers and twigs, but smaller. 
  • Option 3 is to rejuvenate the plant in one go. You cut away all the branches to the ground. The plant will explode with new young shoots the following year. You can do this, for example, if the plant is not looking well. Also when you want to move the plant this is a good method. You can even propagate a larger root ball this way. With a sharp shovel you split the root ball in 2, 3 or 4 pieces, which you can then plant separately. The first year you will have none or hardly any flowers on your hydrangea, but the year after it will be a strong, fresh, beautifully flowering plant again.

Pruning Hydrangea Annabelle

Next we discuss which hydrangeas are the ones that bloom on the young wood and which bloom on the old wood, or even on young and old wood. That’s the last thing you need to check to know how to prune.

I will list all three species here in no particular order. These are the varieties that are most common.

Hydrangeas blooming on the young wood

Prune these to your liking to about 15 to 50 centimeters above the ground. This depends on how tall you want your hydrangea to be. The following species bloom on the new young wood:

  • Plumed hydrangea (Hydrangea Paniculata)
  • Hydrangea Annabelle (Hydrangea Arborescens)
  • 1 kind of farm hydrangea: Hydrangea macrophylla ‘forever & ever’

Hydrangeas blooming on the old wood

Most hydrangea species bloom on the old wood. For this category, you can cut off the spent flowers from the branches after the winter. Cut a piece of the branch of about 10 to 15 centimeters. You do this above a knot, from which two leaves emerge. The following hydrangea species flower on the old wood:

  • Peasant hydrangea (Hydrangea Macrophylla)
  • Water bush (Hydrangea Serrata)
  • Velvet hydrangea (Hydrangea aspera)
  • Hydrangea involucrata
  • Oakleaf hydrangea (Hydrangea quercifolia)

If you want to know more about the care and planting of Hydrangeas read also the article about the Hydrangea. Do you want to know  more about the different varieties? Check the article the 17 most beautiful hydrangea varieties.