Re: Lacecap Hydrangeas
Does your hydrangea look something like this? Then it is a macrophylla
http://www.sierra.com/sierrahome/gardening/encyc/display/0,1073,930,00.html
Then, follow these instructions for pruning:
Pruning
This is a difficult concept to get the hand of at first as every Hydrangea
species responds a little differently to pruning. Pruning should be
performed right after flowering, but certainly not later than early spring.
H. macrophylla var. macrophylla and H. macrophylla var. serrata:
The flowers appear mostly on stems produced during the previous growing
season. Thusly, if you shear your plants in early spring to make a balanced
plant or to keep it inbound, you will be virtually removing all flower buds
for that year. Instead it is better to entirely remove older branches that
have already blossomed and leave younger strong stems which have yet to
produce blossoms. If these younger stems are multi-branched, it is
recommended to remove some of the branches to create fewer flowers and
subsequently less weight which tends to pull the plants apart when in
blossom. Cultivars differ in this regard and each will tell you what it
needs as it matures and blossoms in your garden.
