Confused about when to prune hydrangeas? Follow this pruning guide to get beautiful hydrangea flowers that bloom every year.
About half the pruning questions googled are related to hydrangeas.
Do it yourselfers all fear the same thing: Incorrect pruning will lead to a hydrangea that doesn’t bloom. And if your hydrangea doesn’t bloom, then what’s the point of having them.
The confusion is caused because some hydrangeas bloom on new wood, meaning the current seasons growth, while others bloom on old wood, which is last seasons growth.
Adding to the frustration is the fact that in colder climates old wood hydrangeas can fail you, even when you follow the old wood pruning rules.
Hydrangeas That Bloom On New Wood
When a hydrangea blooms on ‘new wood’, it means that flowers bloom on flower buds that were formed that season. These flower buds weren’t there during the winter months. Instead they were formed when the hydrangea started putting on new growth in the spring.
Pruning new wood hydrangeas should be done in late winter or early spring, before the plant starts to put on new growth.
You have a couple of choices to make when it comes to pruning new wood hydrangeas. Sometimes you’ll want to cut the plant back to within a couple inches of the ground. While other times you don’t want to cut it back to more then 1/3 its size. So how do you know which method to use?
It really comes down to which type of new wood hydrangea you have. New wood hydrangeas are either Annabelle’s, or Panicles.
- Annabelle hydrangeas should be pruned fairly close to the ground. In fact you can prune them all the way to the ground but it’s best to leave several inches of last years wood to create a support structure for new growth. This will prevent the floppiness you sometimes see from Annabelle Hydrangeas.
For help identifying Anabelle Hydrangeas, check out this link: Annabelle Hydrangea Identification
- If you have Panicle Hydrangeas you don’t want to cut them back as severely. Instead, they should be cut back no more then 1/3 of its size in late winter/early spring.
Panicle Hydrangeas are very cold hardy and are a great choice for colder climates (zone 5 or less).
For help identifying Panicle Hydrangeas, check out this link: Panicle Hydrangea Identification
Hydrangeas That Bloom On Old Wood
When a Hydrangea blooms on ‘old wood’, it forms its flower buds shortly after blooms fade in summer. This means that the flower buds and stems of the plant have to survive the winter for you to get blooms next spring/summer. If you’re in a warmer climate, this usually isn’t a problem.
If you’re in a colder climate, this is much harder. Cold winters can cause your hydrangea to die back.
In early spring you’ll be left with a bunch of dead branches that need to be trimmed way back. For this reason, if you’re in a colder climate, it’s best to avoid planting hydrangeas that bloom on old wood.
Old wood hydrangeas include Bigleaf, Mountain, Oakleaf, and Climbing Hydrangeas.
When pruning old wood hydrangeas you have to be very careful with your timing. You want to prune when your hydrangea is just about done blooming for the year. Don’t wait too long. Shortly after blooms fade your hydrangea will start to develop next years flower buds. Pruning too late in the season would mean pruning off next years flowers!
Selective Pruning
Selective pruning is another type of pruning that applies to both new wood and old wood hydrangea.
This means using a pair of bypass pruners and selectively cutting out branches that are dead, diseased or old, or spent flowers. You can also cut branches that are crossing each other or rubbing against each other.
Selective pruning is optional and more for the ‘fine gardener’ type, so don’t feel pressured to do it unless you want to.
Do You Have to Prune Hydrangeas?
Make it easy on yourself. If there’s no reason to prune your hydrangeas then don’t do it. The benefits of pruning are shaping the plant, and maintaining size and vigor. If you are happy with the shape, size, and health of your plant then feel free to leave your hydrangea untouched.
Why Are My Hydrangeas Not Blooming?
There are 5 main reasons why your hydrangeas aren’t blooming:
- Having old wood hydrangeas in a colder climate where they die back during harsh winters.
- Pruning old wood hydrangeas after the flower buds have developed.
- Plant is not mature enough.
- Not enough sun for Panicle hydrangeas. Panicle hydrangeas bloom best with 4-5 hours of sun. However If in southern zones avoid afternoon sun exposure.
- Deer have eaten flower buds.
Awesome Hydrangeas That Bloom on New and Old wood
Want to make things really easy? There are a few hydrangeas that bloom on both new wood and old wood. These include Endless Summer Hydrangea, as well as Proven Winners ‘Lets Dance’, and ‘Tuff Stuff’. Planting these varieties makes it a lot easier to avoid pruning mistakes.
Hydrangea Identification Help
If your hydrangeas are in bloom then identification is much easier. Check out this quick video, and you will be able to see what kind of hydrangea you have: Hydrangea Identification
If it’s late winter or early spring and your hydrangeas aren’t in bloom then identification is much harder.
Say you just moved into a new home, or maybe you haven’t paid much attention to your hydrangeas before. You may have no idea if you have and old wood hydrangea or a new wood. There’s no need to worry. The best thing you can do is wait!
Wait until early spring when leaf buds should start to develop. You’ll notice if the current branches are developing leaves or if its that same dead wood look.
You can even pick off a couple of buds. Smoosh the buds with your finger. Are they swollen and green, or are they small and brown.
You may even notice some growth from the base of the plant. Eventually you’ll be confident enough to prune the dead wood back.
Later in the season when the hydrangea has leaves and flowers (or lack of flowers) it’ll be easier to identify and you will know when to prune moving forward.
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Can you grow hydrangeas in the southwest
I’ve seen people have success with them in South Texas. Stick to Panicle, or ‘Pee Gee’ Hydrangeas, and plant them in shade locations. Also keep them watered.
I’ve been growing beautiful hydrangeas for years in inland San Diego county. They like morning sun and afternoon shade.
Can you air layer hydrangeas? If so, when?
I actually have a friend that air layers oak leaf hydrangeas. I would imagine this type of propagation would work for all hydrangeas. There’s a product called the Clam shell Propagator that works great for air propagation.
Useful article! Actual and useful tips!
thanks glad you enjoyed it!
Looking forward to reading your posts. ????????????
Thanks!
My hydrangea hasn’t bloomed for several years, as I always kept it pruned in the winter. I believe it must bloom on old wood. Where do I go from here?
I would leave it unpruned for this entire season. The flower buds should develop this year and next year you should have some blooms. Immediately after blooming is when you want to prune old wood hydrangeas. If you bloom in the fall you will likely be cutting off blooms for the following year.
Thank you! I followed your advice and only trimmed back slightly because it was so huge. This spring it had about four blooms. It’s huge and I’d like it to be smaller. Is it too late to trim it halfway back now?
Hi Mark,
I have hydrangeas that I planted 12 years ago. In the beginning they had phenomenal blooms and now they have none. The only thing that changes was several years ago (7ish) a landscaper came and hacked them not knowing if they were old wood or new wood blooms. They of course did not bloom that year and have very sparsely bloomed since then, any suggestions? Maybe a fertilizer or something, they used to make me so happy and now, well, I feel baad for them. Thanks so much.
Ok, so a couple things to look for assuming you aren’t pruning it incorrectly… One thing that could have changed is the plants are getting less light due to nearby trees and shrubs maturing and blocking light. Hydrangeas actually do need some sun to bloom. Another possibility (depending on the hydrangea) is that when they received that hard cut back by the landscaper, it created a very thick branching habit when they put on new growth. This means several branches can be crossing each other and even touching. Try pruning out any crossing branches in order to allow more light (and air) through the plant. Pruning young plants is usually a great thing to do since it encourages thicker growth, but too thick is no good either. Also, has the deer situation changed since 12 years ago. They’ll eat the flower buds and can be pretty sneaky about it. Lastly, its never a bad idea to add some compost or amend the soil. Epsoma Holly Tone is a great product.
Thanks Mark, I will look for crossing branches and get that Holly Tone, nothing else has really changed, so I will cross my fingers that does the trick,
Thanks again.
Can you move a hydrangeas to another place in the yard. In the summer?
I would definitely recommend waiting until fall or early spring when the hydrangea is growing so actively. If you do go for it just make sure you keep it watered daily.
I had a very old, huge pale blue Lacecap hydrangea at my old house. In early October I just took a hedge trimmer to it, pruning it into a nice rounded shape. It lost all its leaves once our Oregon Coast winter set in. In March I fed it once with an acid loving fertilizer, it bloomed prolifically all summer. I watered it every other day.
I love Lacecaps, they seem to be a little more rugged then other hydrangeas that bloom on old wood!
Hi! I have incrediball hydrangeas that we planted 2 years ago, this spring we got a very hard late frost and all green growth on them wilted and died. Will they come back next year or will they need replaced? I’m so sad!
Hi Heather, don’t be sad! I’m sure they are fine. Incrediballs are Smooth Hydrangeas that bloom on this current years growth. Even though the new growth died early on you might see some new green growth emerging this srping/summer. You might even get some blooms this year. But I wouldn’t even think about having to replace the plant, worst case scenario is its just not that great of a year for it.
Thanks Mark! Should I cut any of the branches back or just let them be? Right now the bushes are just brown sticks with no green visible from branches or the ground.
If they’re brown sticks this time of year they should probably be cut back. I wouldn’t cut back all the way to the ground this time of year, leave at least several inches. Hopefully you’ll see some new growth emerge from the ground.
I purchased a hydrangea last year and transferred it to a larger pot since I don’t have a sunny enough spot in my yard for it. I brought it in the house for the winter, watered it only occasionally and it bloomed beautifully this summer. My question is, How long can I expect it to thrive in a pot. Will I need to transfer it to the ground eventually? Or a bigger pot? TY
Hi Deb! Plenty of people plant hydrangeas in pots. Just make sure you get a big pot, at least 2′ wide. At this size there shouldn’t be much of a need to constantly increase pot size. Just make sure you use a potting mix that drains well. Also make sure the pot has drainage holes on the bottom.
Can hydrangeas be split and replanted? If so when is the best time for that? I live in the Midwest.
You wouldn’t want to split hydrangeas as you would with perennials. Perennials can be divided but most shrubs can’t.
I have had good luck digging out side parts of Annabelle hydrangeas and putting them in pots until they form a better root system and some new leaves . I have propagated about 8 new shrubs this way. Live northern Minnesota .
I have Nikko Blue hydrangeas on the northeast . side in Northern Mi. I’ve had them many years & they rarely bloom or only have 2-3 blooms. The foliage is good. I have usually waited until late June to cut back to see what old wood had growth. Last year I cut it all back to about 12 in. feeling I had nothing to loose. This year foliage is coming but no buds on old wood. Are they worth salvaging or should I plant something more hardy? We had a very cold spring here this year.
I feel your pain. I’m in New Hampshire and have given up with hydrangeas such as Nikko Blue that bloom on old wood. There’s too many wonderful Panicle Hydrangeas to choose from and they bloom on new wood. It’s ultimately your call, but it seems like I’m always cutting back old wood hydrangeas in the spring and it’s disappointing.
Hi, I have endless summer hydrangeas. Last year I had maybe one or two blooms in late summer but the plants themselves were green and lush. This year the plants have gotten to a great size with a couple more blooms but they were blooming only on the undersides of the bushes. The flowers didn’t even completely blossom. They get 4-5 hrs of good sun and are next to the eastern side of the house. The plants are on their 3rd year of growth. What am I doing wrong? I have fertilized the plants as well. I’m not sure what to try next.
hi tempie, where are you located, and do you prune them at all?
What is the best thing to use when you see a disease on your hydrangeas?
Hi Cindy, It really depends on what disease or fungus your hydrangeas have, but in general Immunox is a great product that helps with a lot of foliage problems. It is a foliage spray that can be bought for a hose end sprayer application or as a concentrate to be mixed in a tank sprayer.
My hydrangea has finished blooming but still has some
Sparse blooms, however new growth is coming up on the
New stems. It needs to be pruned, but it’s August here
In Ca. Can I still prune it.
Hi Lydia, If your blooms are starting to wind down I would prune now. Nothing too hard, just an overall shaping and deadheading of the plant. You’ll have to sacrifice a couple of random blooms but now is a good time for pruning.
Hi Mark, I live in the Piedmont Triad area I’m having some big problems with my Endless Summer Hydrangeas. I just bought them this year and I planted them on the north side of my house you should get some sun and some shade. But they’re looking horrible and one of them burnt up from I think too much sun. I need help. I’m attempting to be a gardener but my thumb is still Brown and not green. What advice can you give me to resurrect these plants. Thanks Bobbie
Hi Bobbie, Overall endless hydrangeas should be fine to plant in your area assuming they don’t get strong afternoon sun for several hours. There’s a lot of things that could be the cause for your stressed plants, but starting with the easy things:
1. Since they aren’t established yet make sure they get plenty of water! Put the garden hose on a small trickle and water the shrubs at the base for about half an hour each, every day (You can just leave the hose there instead of manning it.)
2. Make sure soil is well draining, not full of clay.
3.Mulch around the hydrangeas but don’t let the mulch rest along the base of the plant. This will help trap in moisture.
It’s tough to tell without a picture but most likely your new plants are struggling from a lack of water.
I moved into my house six years ago. There is an existing hydrangea that has a beautiful, low, wide shape (3’ wide x 2’ tall) and creates pretty green foliage, but never blooms. I haven’t pruned it, so I know I’m not cutting old wood blooms. I’ve fertilized and watered. What else would you recommend. I’m close to digging it up and replacing, but that seems so sad.
Hi Anna, are you located in a cold region? Could be that the flower buds aren’t surviving the winter due to the cold. You could also have deer eating the flower buds if deer are in your yard. Another possibility is you have a Panicle hydrangea which actually requires about 5 hours of sun to bloom. If a panicle hydrangea is left in deep shade it is less likely to bloom. Panicle leaves are usually smaller and rougher then other hydrangeas so check to see if that’s a possibility. Lastly, you could be fertilizing with a fertilizer that has too much nitrogen. It’s the middle number phosphorus that helps flowers bloom, the first number is nitrogen which encourages leaf growth.
We have multiple Annabelle new wood hydrangeas. We cut them back too late last year and this year they didn’t flower until just now. We live in Zone 7b (Atlanta area) and not sure when “late winter” is for us. When should we prune them. Is January 1st considered late winter. We typically start Spring in February…
Hi Sue, late winter/early spring would be more like late March. That’s the best time to prune Annabelle Hydrangeas. You can prune them back pretty far, even to the ground and they will flower for the upcoming season.
I have Strawberry Sundae hydrangeas that are blooming but the heads seem to heavy and they are laying more flat than upright. I did prune them back 1/3 in early spring (zone 5). How can I get the blooms to be upright, not sprawling on the ground?
Joan
Hi Joan, Try backing off on the pruning. Next time just give them a light pruning, pretty much just dead heading the flowers. The more severe the pruning the more likely you are to get weak branches with lots of blooms. With a strong pruning, the hydrangea focuses a lot of energy into quickly developing branches so they get tall. Tall usually means weak. By easing up on pruning, the hydrangea won’t be forced into growing leggy branches. Hope this helps, keep me posted with any more questions!
I live in Loveland, colorado. i planted 3 endless summer hydrangeas in 2014, on the north side of the house.did not amend the soil, it is mostly clay. dug under river rock, first year, no blooms. in the spring, i made a tea of dr. earths acid fertilizer. poured it on the 3 plants, (oh, and btw, pruned in spring, just above new growth, letting them stay up all winter. we tend to have pretty severe weather, being in northern colorado, so i was worried. the next spring, i pruned then after i saw new growth, fed the dr. earth tea, and in june, had nice big pink blooms.i did get some strong sun in the evenings, which scalded some of the leaves, but they bloomed again in september. Im now trying to get blue blooms, but i water with just hose water, which i think is alkaline. so now In september 2020) im seeing i dont get the scalding sun this year.(wierd, huh?) i do have smaller blooms this september, probly due to a frost we got this last may. so now i think ill only water with house water,(we have a rainsoft water system), and start to feed next spring, again. well see!!!! cindy
Hi Cindy! It’s funny, peoples landscapes are constantly changing… I wonder if your hydrangeas don’t get sun scald anymore because the tree canopy closed in over time and now you get more shade where your hydrangeas are. That’s assuming there are trees around the area. Could also be that your hydrangeas are more mature and the root system is more developed. This helps in preventing sun scald. As for the smaller blooms, your right it could be the late frost. It could also be a lack of Phosphorus. If you’re trying to achieve bigger blooms that are blue then try a fertilizer that’s high in Phosphorus and try amending your soil with Epsoma soil acidifier. I’m a big fan of Endless Summer Hydrangeas because they bloom on both old wood and new wood. In your region you are probably just getting blooms off the new wood. I’d imagine most winters the old wood buds die off. Lastly, you might want to get a simple litmus test on your water. I’d be surprised if that was affecting the overall ph but you never know. Ultimately, a soil acidifier should dominate alkaline water.
Mark,
I have two hydrangeas that bloom on old wood and one climbing one. Great foliage no blooms, or very few. I live in a cold climate (zone 4) so I am sure that is the problem – will covering them in the late fall help the buds over the winter?
Hi Jenna, It’s funny I’m actually putting a post together on how to protect hydrangeas during the winter. Bottom line is yes, covering them will definitely give you a better chance of saving blooms. Of course, there’s a lot of what ifs, but why not give it a shot. One strategy I like the most is collecting leaves from your yard, (usually oak leaves if you got them) and place them inside and around the hydrangea. Then wrap the hydrangea. To wrap you can use burlap, but I prefer to use frost blankets. I’ve purchased several rolls from Greenhouse Megastore online before. If you do choose to wrap, just make sure it’s not plastic, or anything that completely blocks the flow of air.
How do I move a hydrangeas ?
Hi Lisa, wait until the hydrangea is dormant but the ground isn’t frozen yet. Here in NH that’s usually around November. You could also transplant in early spring, just avoid transplanting when the hydrangea is actively growing. Start out by digging your new hole. Dig it big so there’s plenty of room for the root ball and plenty of room to incorporate compost and good potting soil. Then dig out your hydrangea by digging around the entire plant, slowly exposing the main root ball. The more roots you can leave intact the better odds the plant has of surviving. Don’t be afraid to use a metal bar for leverage as you get most of the root ball exposed. Once the hydrangea is fully dug up you can plant it in its new location. Back fill with compost or good potting soil, and incorporate the existing dirt into your mix as well. Pat down around the plant as you backfill to eliminate any air gaps. Place some bark mulch around the plant and keep watered! Even if it’s late fall, make sure you give the newly transplanted hydrangea plenty of water.
Hello Mark. I live in Gastonia, NC and have 3 Endless Summer Hydrangeas. They have been full of blooms this entire spring going into summer. I did not prune them at all last year but I need to shape them and am just wondering the proper way to prune these. Thanks for any advice.
My hydrangeas are out of control! They grow so vigorously that they’re crowding out other plants. How do I curb growth? I live in Toronto and have a south facing garden.
Hi Rosemary! What kind of hydrangeas are they. If they’re panicle hydrangeas you can cut them down to about 1/3 of their size. If their smooth hydrangeas (Annabelle) you can them back all the way to the ground.