Hydrangeas are one of the most beautiful plants in our gardens. They bloom for a long time and amaze with a huge variety of inflorescences, often large and magnificent. Properly performedhydrangea cuttingwill allow you to fully enjoy the charm of these unusual ornamental shrubs and have a huge impact on the abundance of flowering. Seehow and when to prune hydrangeasto enjoy their gorgeous flowers every year!
Pruning hydrangeas has a huge impact on the flowering abundance of these shrubs
Hydrangeas embellish discounts, accentuate the entrances to the house.They are a great backdrop for many plants. They grow well in a semi-shaded place, free from the wind, with slightly moist soil. The valued blue flowers of garden hydrangea can be obtained by lowering the soil pH to 4-4.5 (e.g. by using acidifying fertilizers). And the abundance of flowering is greatly influenced by the correcthydrangea cutting
Most ornamental shrubs need to be trimmed annually for regular flowering. Some require only occasional pruning of dead, crossing shoots, while others need to be radically pruned to produce flowers. Hydrangea stands out from deciduous shrubs, asthe way of cutting hydrangeadiffers depending on the species of this plant. We will deal with bouquet hydrangeas differently than with garden hydrangeas. This is mainly due to the fact that they bloom on different shoots: one-year-old or two-year-old. If thecutting of the bouquet hydrangeais abandoned, its flowering capacity will decrease from year to year.
When to trim hydrangeas?
Hydrangea occurs in many species. We distinguish species such as: garden hydrangea, bouquet hydrangea, shrub hydrangea, climbing hydrangea, hairy hydrangea and oak-leaved hydrangea. As previously mentioned, depending on the species, they differ in the way of cutting.
We almost always cut hydrangeasat the beginning of spring. The springhydrangea cutting termis appropriate for all hydrangea species. Cutting different species of hydrangeas, however, differs in the way and intensity.Blown flowers of garden hydrangea are sometimes cut in autumn, but in cool regions of Poland it is better to wait until spring with this cut. The inflorescences protect the plant against harsh weather conditions and, moreover, when left on the shrub in winter, they look very impressive.
How to trim hydrangeas?
The strength and cutting time of ornamental shrubs depends on their flowering time.Cutting hydrangeasis a bit different.
Cutting flowering hydrangeas from last year's budsGarden hydrangea, spotted hydrangea and oak-leaved hydrangea bloom on last year's shoots, which means that at the beginning of the year they already have buds with buds of inflorescences. At the end of winter or early spring, only cut out their dry inflorescences, just above the first pair of buds. We perform x-ray cutting every 4 years. These hydrangeas belong to the group of plants that do not require annual maintenance pruning.
Pruning of this year's flowering hydrangeas
The situation is different for such species as bouquet hydrangea and shrub hydrangea, which attract a large group of admirers. No wonder they are extremely easy to grow, and if we take good care of them, they will repay you with lush flowers. These plants bloom on this year's shoots. In spring, when the shrubs have not developed leaves yet, trim the plants low.Cut bush hydrangeato a height of 15-20 cm. Cut the bouquet hydrangeato 2/3 of its length, above the 3rd or 4th bud, and cut the weaker shoots in half. We cut out all thin shoots. Yespruned hydrangeaswill produce strong shoots from the buds left behind.
Aftercutting the hydrangea , cover the soil around the plant with a layer of compost by gently mixing it with the soil. It is also worth spreading the shredded manure under the plants, mulching the shrub within the root collar. Then, during growth, we feed the hydrangeas with compound fertilizers for ornamental shrubs.
How to become confident in pruning plants?
If you are unsure how to cut or simply afraid to do it, the fantastic book "Cutting School" will help you. Thanks to it, you will gain confidence in pruning plants and learn to cut plants so that they grow according to your expectations. After reading this book, your approach to pruning plants will probably change completely!
