I weeded and cleaned the front of a relative's home. She has a very large hydrangea bush. She loves it, even though it is monstrous in size next to the home.

I cut it down a few years ago. It came back, larger than ever. It now my height. I like my bushes small.

Can I successfully trim it very small in a ball-shape - will it survive? I want to hack away at it. Online, it says you should not do that. However, it is way to large for where it was planted. No, I don't think I can move it. I also dont know where to put it.

Can I make it very small and ball-shaped? I read this isn't good for it. The article said it is a risk.

I made it small with shears once before. I don't want to hurt the hydrangea, since it is valued by a relative.

Also, what product can I use to change them into a pink color?

Thank you!

Before giving you some suggestions, can you please give me a little bit more information? Do you/the relative know what type of hydrangea this one is? Or do you/the relative know the variety name? Can you post several pictures of the plant that include the flowers? What color changes do the blooms go through?

The thread "Help: Pruning Monstrous Hydrangea" in Hydrangeas forum

luis_pr said:Before giving you some suggestions, can you please give me a little bit more information? Do you/the relative know what type of hydrangea this one is? Or do you/the relative know the variety name? Can you post several pictures of the plant that include the flowers? What color changes do the blooms go through?

The thread "Help: Pruning Monstrous Hydrangea" in Hydrangeas forum

Hi, thanks for trying to help me with this.

I do not know what kind it is and neither does my relative. It is probably 15-20 years old.

As you can see, it's in the way of the sidewalk. I really don't like it, but my relative has a special attachment to it. I hacked away at it five years ago and made it into a small ball about one foot in diameter. Then, I read this would kill it. It did grow back. I fertilized it this year, which I think was a mistake. I wanted more blooms. Now, it is massive.

I never really cared for the things. There are too many of them in my area. It also doesn't quite fit all the weeding, mulching, and planting I did all summer. If I could make it smaller, it might be more becoming in the midst of all I am trying to accomplish.

What should I do? Can I cut it back now in zone 6b MA during the fall? Should I wait for spring?

It's a warm winter. It is 83 degrees today.

Thanks!

Picture is coming soon.

luis_pr said: Can you post several pictures of the plant that include the flowers? What color changes do the blooms go through?

The thread "Help: Pruning Monstrous Hydrangea" in Hydrangeas forum

Hydrangea is always a cornflower bloom. It then turns violet-purple.

Finally, the pics loaded.

Thanks again.

Why not prune it back again and transplant it out further in the yard where it won't be in the way?
If that is what you decide, do it ASAP.

The foliage looks like it belongs to a hydrangea macrophylla (aka Big Leaf Hydrangea, French Hydrangea, Hortensia). An initial 'cornflower blue' bloom color also suggests that it is a macrophylla. Around at the middle to end of summer 2021, macrophyllas develop invisible flower buds for spring 2022 (they are located at the ends of the stems). As a result, you should avoid moving it or pruning it now or you may not get blooms in 2022. Instead, I suggest doing rejuvenation pruning, a technique i which you prune all the way down the 1/3 longest stems in Year 1; you prune the next 1/3 longest stems in Year 2; and you prune the rest in Year 3. Pruning now will force new growth so wait until the plant has gone dormant and all the blooms and leaves have dried out and turned brown.

You can also transplant the plant but again, avoid that now; that is best accomplished later, during fall/winter when the plant is dormant when the leaves and blooms have dried out and are brown.

Most of hydrangea roots are tiny, shallow, fibrous, usually found a few inches in depth. For a 15-20 year old specimen, you can assume more depth, perhaps about 1 foot or thereabout. The more of these roots that you move (unharmed/undisturbed), the better... as they are the ones that absorb moisture.

I tend to prepare the new hole the day before, water deeply before moving, transplant in a cool/cloudy day and extract as much of the root ball as possible; use help if possible. Mulch 2-4" (no rock mulch) and water when the soil feels dry if you insert a finger to a depth of 4". Stop watering if the soil freezes but consider watering if winter is dry and warm. Fertilize in spring 2022 after your average date of last frost. For Gloucester (Zone 6b; just an example), that date would be around the 2nd-3rd week in May.

Try not to handle the shrub by the base of the canes.

luis_pr said:The foliage looks like it belongs to a hydrangea macrophylla (aka Big Leaf Hydrangea, French Hydrangea, Hortensia). An initial 'cornflower blue' bloom color also suggests that it is a macrophylla. Around at the middle to end of summer 2021, macrophyllas develop invisible flower buds for spring 2022 (they are located at the ends of the stems). As a result, you should avoid moving it or pruning it now or you may not get blooms in 2022. Instead, I suggest doing rejuvenation pruning, a technique i which you prune all the way down the 1/3 longest stems in Year 1; you prune the next 1/3 longest stems in Year 2; and you prune the rest in Year 3. Pruning now will force new growth so wait until the plant has gone dormant and all the blooms and leaves have dried out and turned brown.

You can also transplant the plant but again, avoid that now; that is best accomplished later, during fall/winter when the plant is dormant when the leaves and blooms have dried out and are brown.

Most of hydrangea roots are tiny, shallow, fibrous, usually found a few inches in depth. For a 15-20 year old specimen, you can assume more depth, perhaps about 1 foot or thereabout. The more of these roots that you move (unharmed/undisturbed), the better... as they are the ones that absorb moisture.

I tend to prepare the new hole the day before, water deeply before moving, transplant in a cool/cloudy day and extract as much of the root ball as possible; use help if possible. Mulch 2-4" (no rock mulch) and water when the soil feels dry if you insert a finger to a depth of 4". Stop watering if the soil freezes but consider watering if winter is dry and warm. Fertilize in spring 2022 after your average date of last frost. For Gloucester (Zone 6b; just an example), that date would be around the 2nd-3rd week in May.

Try not to handle the shrub by the base of the canes.

Thanks for taking the time to help me. I didn't know that about the roots. Looks like it will be easier to move than I thought!