"Dewdrops on the four sepals of the garden hydrangea,
glistening softly in the evening moon of the fading summer,
quite possible to ignore."
-Toshinari Fujiwara, 12th-century Japanese poet, quoted in Kashioka & Ogisu 1997 (Garden Flora By Noel Kingsbury).
Knowing if your hydrangea blooms on old or new wood will help you decide if it's time to prune.
When I first started gardening, I had no idea that hydrangeas had different pruning styles. Who would have thought? I was oblivious to this information and thought that all bushes were trimmed/pruned whenever. Obviously, I was wrong and if you are not well versed with hydrangeas, here is a quick introduction....
Old Growth Hydrangeas means those that bloom on old growth or stems that produce flowers on last year's (or older) stems. I usually prune these hydrangeas in the spring when I can see the new buds coming out and about. The little buds usually let me know that the stem is alive and will produce leaves/flowers. If the the stem has no buds, I usually take that to mean that the stem is dead and needs to be removed. It is easy, however, it does take some patience.
Also, if you have a hydrangea that is too big and/or produces small flowers, it's probably time to reduce it's size by giving it a good prune. I would prune these hydrangeas around early spring as well. For this type of pruning, I would target the tallest stems and remove them completely at the soil line. Hydrangeas love a good trim so please do not be afraid to prune them. You just have to make sure you do it at the right time.
Bigleaf hydrangeas (Hydrangea macrophylla cvs., USDA Hardiness Zones 6–9)
Bigleaf hydrangeas (H. serrata cvs., Z 6–9)
Oakleaf hydrangeas (H. quercifolia cvs., Z 5–9
Pictured: Bigleaf Hydrangea "Endless Summer"
New Growth Hydrangea: means hydrangeas that bloom on new stems. This type hydrangeas are a lot easier to maintain! I usually prune them in late fall or early winter. Cut them all the way down and thats it! Easy peasy! However, what I have noticed about these hydrangeas is that the blooms are usually a lot bigger and heavier which causes them to fall down or flop to the ground. One way to alleviate this flopping is to cut the stems to a height of 18 to 24 inches to provide a sturdy framework to support new growth.
Panicle hydrangeas (H. paniculata and cvs., Z 4–8)
Smooth hydrangeas (H. arborescens and cvs., Z 4–9)
Pictured: Smooth hydrangeas "Annabelle Snowballs"
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