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. Most hydrangeas need at least 4-6 hours of sun to bloom.
- 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.
Useful article! Actual and useful tips!
thanks glad you enjoyed it!
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.
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 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?