In this video, Debi Holland shows you how to prune and deadhead hydrangeas in spring, explaining the key differences between mophead and lacecap varieties (Hydrangea macrophylla) and paniculata and arborescens types like Annabelle and Limelight, so you can prune correctly and enjoy healthier plants with better blooms.
How to prune and deadhead hydrangeas
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How you prune a hydrangea in spring depends on which kind you grow. Mopheads and lacecaps, including the familiar pink and blue Hydrangea macrophylla, flower on last year’s growth. Hydrangea paniculata and H. arborescens, including ‘Limelight’ and ‘Annabelle’, flower on new growth. If you’re unsure which you have, wait until it flowers and prune it the following year.
Deadhead mopheads and lacecaps. Leave the old flowerheads through winter. They help protect the stems and give insects shelter. In spring, follow each faded flower stem down to the first healthy pair of buds and cut just above them. Handle the buds gently and keep last year’s flowering wood. Cutting back too far can remove this summer’s flowers.
Remove damaged or congested growth. Cut out dead, diseased and frost-damaged wood. Thinning crowded stems helps air move through the shrub.
Prune hydrangeas that flower on new growth. Panicle and smooth hydrangeas can be cut back harder in spring. On this ‘Annabelle’, I’m cutting the stems to around 30 cm above the base to encourage fresh shoots and large blooms in summer.
