Re: Hydrangea
- To: perennials@mallorn.com
- Subject: Re: Hydrangea
- From: M* D*
- Date: Sun, 8 Nov 1998 14:17:36 -0600
At 11:22 AM 10/26/98 -0800, Renata LaMar wrote:
>Well, I think winter is officially arrived in Iowa, we had our first
>snowfall last night (11/7/98). After several hard frosts last week,
>I've resigned myself that my gardening has come to an end.
>
>My hydrangea (as well as everything else) looks terrible. Should I
>prune my hydrangea now? The way it looks, I'm tempted to cut it down to
>the ground, but I've heard (I think) that hydrangeas bloom on last
>year's growth.
Renata, You will indeed cut off all of next years flowers if you cut it to
the ground now. In addition, your plant may not survive the winter by
pruning it now. Pruning this late in the season may still force new growth
that would surely be killed and may kill the whole plant. I wait until the
bare stems begin to show bud swell in the very early spring and then prune
the stems judiciously just above a pair of viable buds. Stems that have old
dried flowers on them can be cut way back if you wish because they will not
flower again this year. The stems without dried flowers on them are the
ones that will produce flowers this year and I would leave them be.
Sometimes when a shrub is old and rangey or overgrown, cutting the whole
Hydrangea down is benficial, but you will sacrifice a years bloom by doing so.
Marilyn Dube'
NATURAL DESIGN PLANTS
Hardy Perennials, Choice Tropicals
Portland, Oregon, Zone 8b
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