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The abundant, round blooms of hydrangeas are a classic sight of summer.
And do you should probably cut hydrangeas back at all?
Some hydrangeas are new wood hydrangeas.
Olga Dobrovolska / Getty Images
Meanwhile, old wood hydrangeas actually produce their blooms seasons ahead of the iconic summer flowers.
Ideal timing is totally dependent on whether you have new wood or old wood hydrangeas.
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New Wood Hydrangeas
New wood hydrangeas includepanicle (peegee) hydrangeasandsmooth hydrangeas.
Old Wood Hydrangeas
Old wood hydrangeas are much more finicky when it comes to pruning.
These includeoakleaf hydrangeas,climbing hydrangeas, and big leaf hydrangeas.
Their buds begin to form in the late summer, nearly a year before their bloom season.
This means your ideal time to prune is short-lived.
Wait too long, and you could risk trimming off next year’s blooms.
Prune your old wood hydrangeas right after summer’s blooms have faded.
If you see green, leave it be.
If you see brown, go ahead and cut it down.
Why Do you better Prune Hydrangeas?
Hydrangeas do not actually need to be pruned in terms of their own health and maintenance.
But, for old wood hydrangeas, pruning helps to keep a more compact shape.
Pruning them can help maintain the bushy look that encourages a mountain of flowers to emerge each summer.
Blooms may also become smaller.
Again, pruning is not necessary, but it will give your hydrangeas a more tailored look.
you could cut new wood hydrangeas all the way back to the ground.
It dependshydrangeas the bloom on new wood should be cut to the ground ahead of the spring growing season.
