| Can you please provide me with some information regarding the different pruning techniques for these shrubs. I presently have both hydrangea paniculata grandiflora peegee and pink diamond. I will be adding the paniculata limelight this summer and, these being first year plants to my garden, I am unsure of how to prune them. I've read that I can either treat them as herbaceous perennials or as deciduous shrubs. I understand that, treated as perennials, I can cut them back to within 4 to 6 inches in the spring, because they bloom on new wood. What I'm uncertain of is how to treat them as shrubs. Does this mean that I don't need to prune them at all, other than removing dead wood? I also have the Hydrangea arborescens annabelle and Hydrangea serrata blue bird. I cut the annabelle back to the ground each spring and cut back the flowers heads on the blue bird to the first set of new buds. I realize that the blue bird blooms on old wood but again I've read different trains of thought as to the pruning requirements for this shrub. I've read that you should prune it right after flowering but I've also read that here in Ontario, very near to Lake Ontario and I believe in zone#5, you can prune it in the spring, back to the first set of buds. Apparently leaving the flower heads on provides winter protection. Anyway, sorry for the length of this leter but I sure would appreciate a response. Thanks in advance. Ed Brown. |
| side in my own garden and would wait until spring. People who think the old blooms look impossibly untidy will trim them off as soon as they fade, regardless although some people enjoy the sight of them in a snowy winter and will leave them intact for decorative purposes. Note that you are really on the edge of hardiness for the serrata types so this may all be a moot point. You might want to concentrate on the newer types that bloom on old and new wood both although in my experience repeated extreme winter damage weakens the plant so it never looks as good as it should. Annabelle, the arborescens type, on the other hand, grows back from the ground each spring. Because of this, it can be trimmed off in late fall or even mowed off short before the growth begins each spring. It is very winter hardy at the roots so the protection issue is far less important and it is a reliable bloomer every year as a result. The overall rule for pruning hydrangeas is that you need to take into account the blooming wood type and the growth habit as well as the microclimate in which the plant is growing and experience will show you the best approach for the plants you have. That's not really much of a rule, is it. Good luck with your hydrangeas, you have a wonderful collection! side in my own garden and would wait until spring. People who think the old blooms look impossibly untidy will trim them off as soon as they fade, regardless although some people enjoy the sight of them in a snowy winter and will leave them intact for decorative purposes. Note that you are really on the edge of hardiness for the serrata types so this may all be a moot point. You might want to concentrate on the newer types that bloom on old and new wood both although in my experience repeated extreme winter damage weakens the plant so it never looks as good as it should. Annabelle, the arborescens type, on the other hand, grows back from the ground each spring. Because of this, it can be trimmed off in late fall or even mowed off short before the growth begins each spring. It is very winter hardy at the roots so the protection issue is far less important and it is a reliable bloomer every year as a result. The overall rule for pruning hydrangeas is that you need to take into account the blooming wood type and the growth habit as well as the microclimate in which the plant is growing and experience will show you the best approach for the plants you have. That's not really much of a rule, is it. Good luck with your hydrangeas, you have a wonderful collection! |
