[ad_1]
Pruning your hydrangeas now is one of the most important steps to take for a stunning display next summer. But, this depends on what type of hydrangea you have. When should you cut back hydrangeas? And what is the best way to deadhead your plant?
Hydrangeas are the definition of a blooming beautiful plant.
Their colourful flowers brighten up any garden, and they are famously easy to care for.
As summer comes to an end, some species of hydrangea will thank you for a September trim.
So, how can you tell whether your hydrangea needs cutting back?
READ MORE: Kirstie Allsopp lambasts estate agent’s ‘foolish policy’
A really well-established climbing hydrangea will be fine with a good, thorough, pruning but you should avoid this on younger plants.
Instead, stagger the pruning throughout the year – doing some in spring, and some after the plant has flowered.
Your hydrangeas will bloom beautifully without much attention, but pruning and dead-heading will produce the most stunning displays.
Dead-heading hydrangeas
Try to resist the temptation to dead-head your mophead hydrangeas this month.
Leaving dead blooms on the plant can actually protect the younger buds from frost over the winter months.
Instead, you should dead-head mophead hydrangeas in early spring by cutting back the stem to the first healthy young buds.
Lacecaps are not so sensitive and can be dead-headed after flowering to the second pair of leaves below the head.
Avoiding problems with hydrangeas
Like many other plants, hydrangeas can be damaged by frost in winter and early spring.
If there is frost damage in early spring, prune the plant back, removing any damaged shoots.
Cut it back to just above the newest undamaged shoots.
Any weak and straggly shoots can be cut off, especially if they are trailing along the ground.
[ad_2]
