Hydrangea Pruning: A Photo Primer

It's late summer--not the time you're exactly thinking of doing pruning around your yard, is it? Unless you're battling a shrub that's taking over your front porch, chances are you won't think much about pruning until at least this fall (or maybe even next spring). But did you know that late summer is a great time to prune many varieties of hydrangea? It's true!

Older varieties of hydrangeas--standard mophead and lacecap types--bloom only on old wood, so you'll need to prune them in late summer or early fall in order to ensure blooms the following season. But unless you're familiar with the specifics on hydrangeas, you might not even know what the terms "mophead" and "lacecap" mean, much less how to prune them!

Below are the basic types of hydrangea and photo examples of each, along with a brief description of when they should be pruned. 

Mophead

Mophead

These are the good ol' fashioned type of hydrangea. If asked to picture one, you'll probably imagine something like this. Prune this type (color doesn't matter) in mid-August to early September to ensure they'll bloom next year.





Lacecap

Lacecap

 

Like Mophead hydrangeas, lacecaps are well-known and have been around for a long time, too. Also like mopheads, lacecaps should be pruned in late summer.





Oakleaf

Oakleaf

Not as common, but very striking in their foliage size and shape, oakleaf hydrangeas have white flowers and large leaves shaped like (what else) oak leaves! Treat these like the above two varieties--prune in late summer.




Paniculata

Paniculata

 

Have you heard of "PeeGee," "Limelight," or "Bombshell" hydrangeas? These are some of the more popular paniculata types. Unlike most mopheads, they have cone-shaped flowers in shades of white or light green, although some new varieties are starting to show more color ('Fire & Ice' is one example that turns burgundy red). These can be pruned anytime until late spring (at which point they'll be budded for summer blooming) and again after they bloom in late summer.

Arborescens 

Arborescens

Some common varieties are 'Annabelle' or 'Invincibelle Spirit.' They typically have very large flower heads comprised of delicate, almost lacy blossoms. Like paniculata types, these can be pruned any time except late spring and summer.








Now, how hard you prune your hydrangeas will vary depending on how big you want them to get, whether you mind the look of bare branches in winter, etc. The best method for pruning if you need to give your hydrangeas more than a light haircut is the "thirds" rule: prune 1/3 of the branches nearly back to the ground this year, 1/3 next year and 1/3 the following year. If you're not that patient, however (or your plants grow too fast for your liking), most hydrangeas can be pruned nearly down to the ground without much harm. Keep in mind that if you prune hard, the following year's stems may be weak and flop over when the flowers are fully developed.

Hydrangeas are beautiful shrubs and easy to grow. With a little attention to what type you have in your yard, you can enjoy loads of flowers each year while also keeping the size of your plants in check. And don't forget to feed your hydrangeas--we recommend Jack's Hydrangea Blue once a month to keep them healthy and colorful!