How to Prune Hydrangea Plants and Hydrangea Bushes

Hydrangeas require management after they bloom.

Hydrangea bushes produce beautiful flowers in shades from pale pink to dark purple throughout the spring and summer months. Once the hydrangea flowers have faded, they are not very attractive until the next spring. For this reason and to encourage new growth, prune the hydrangea plant once the flowers have wilted, generally before mid-August.

Things You'll Need

• Pruning shears

Instructions

1. Locate a browned hydrangea flower and follow the stalk down until you get to a green healthy section. If the stem is green directly below the bloom, that is the best-case scenario.

2. Locate the second set of leaves after the stem has turned green.

3. Cut the stalk with your pruning shears at a 45-degree angle and discard the brown flower.

Tips & Warnings

• Don't prune after mid-August, when you may cut off buds that are beginning to grow and harm the plant's blooming ability the following spring.

References

• Cornell Cooperative Extension Suffolk County: Pruning Hydrangea
• NC State Cooperative Extension; Pruning Hydrangeas; Dick Bir; May 2002

Resources

• How to Take Care of Hydrangea Bush During the Winter