Pruning is a one of the most vital aspects of Hydrangea care. The two key important things you need to know are:

• What type of Hydrangea you have (Check out this handy guide if you need help)
• When to prune your type of Hydrangea
• Understand new wood vs old Wood
  • Old wood are the stems that have been on the plant for at least one full year. These flower buds begin to form in the late summer for the next year’s blooms. Correct pruning is more crucial for old wood blooming Hydrangeas.
  • New wood is the fresh growth that the Hydrangea produces every Spring. The flower buds are set on the current year’s new growth and while correct pruning is important, they are more tolerant of pruning.

Want to know more about Macrophylla/Bigleaf Hydrangeas? Read here.

Blooms on old & new wood.

Prune: early spring as new growth begins to appear.

Older varieties of Macrophylla Hydrangeas bloom only on old wood, while most newer varieties bloom on both old and new wood. You can prune in the early Spring down to the most upper buds that are forming, where you see fresh green leaves beginning to emerge. Remove dead/damaged stems. If a stem is bare with not growth emerging, that stem can be removed but any stems that are sprouting fresh buds or leaves are alive and well.

If you want to reduce the size of your old wood-blooming hydrangea, only hard prune it in July. New buds will begin to develop after this which will bring next year’s flowers.

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Want to know more about Panicle Hydrangeas? Read here.

Blooms on new wood.

Prune Shrub Forms: Cut back in late Winter or early Spring. You can take it down as far as 6-10″ in a rounded mound form.

Prune Tree Forms: Cut back in late Winter/early Spring in a 6-10″ rounded mound form.

Panicle hydrangeas bloom on new wood and produce flower buds on the the new growth each spring. They can be pruned heavily in late winter or early spring without sacrificing blooms. Pruning them heavily during this period will give you fuller branching, stronger stems, more blooms, and an overall stronger hydrangea.

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Want to know more about Oakleaf Hydrangeas? Read here.

Blooms on old wood.

Prune: Early spring, as new growth begins to appear to remove dead/damaged stems

Oakleaf Hydrangeas bloom only on old wood. You can prune in early Spring by removing dead/damaged stems. If a stem is bare with no growth emerging, that stem can be removed but any stems that are sprouting fresh buds or leaves are alive and well.

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Want to know more about Smooth Hydrangeas? Read here.

Blooms on new wood.

Prune: early Spring/late Winter.

Smooth Hydrangeas bloom on new wood with their flower buds producing in early Spring on the new growth. Because of this, they can be pruned in late Winter/early Spring to a rounded 6-12″ mound without worrying about sacrificing any blooms. Pruning at this time will give you fuller branching & more blooms.

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Want to read more about Mountain Hydrangeas? Read here.

Blooms on old & new wood.

Prune in early spring, as new growth begins to appear.

Many new varieties bloom on both old and new wood. You can prune in the early Spring down to the most upper buds that are forming, where you see fresh green leaves beginning to emerge. Remove dead/damaged stems. If a stem is bare with not growth emerging, that stem can be removed but any stems that are sprouting fresh buds or leaves are alive and well.

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Want to read more about Mountain Hydrangeas? Read here.

Blooms on old wood.

Prune in early spring, as new growth begins to appear.

Climbing Hydrangea bloom on old wood, so you’ll want to prune them in the early spring as new green growth appears, removing winter damage, dead stems, and any wayward branches. If you want to reduce the size of your old wood-blooming hydrangea, only hard prune it in late summer right after it finishes flowering. New buds will begin to develop after this which will bring next year’s flowers.

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Tips & Tricks

If you need to reduce the size of your old wood-blooming hydrangea, only hard prune it in July, which is right before new buds begin to develop (they bring next year’s flowers!).

Weak, diseased, damaged, or dead stems can and should be removed at any time (i.e. those bare “sticks” you see poking out of your hydrangea!).