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Re: Hydrangea pruning


Uh, Chris....hate to disagree, but H. quercifolia blooms on old wood and
should only be pruned immediately after flowering, if you want flowers the
next year.   If the terminal bud is lost to hard frost, you won't get any
flowers, either.   I only cut out deadwood on this one as I really enjoy
the open branching habit.  Well, I have actually done a bit of pruning to
keep it within a reasonable territory.  These plants sucker and will form
nice colonies after time.  One of my all-time favorite shrubs.  I have the
species and the cultivar 'Snowflake' with the double 'hose in hose'
flowers.....love both of them.   Especially love the new leaves, all frosty
looking and the burgundy fall color.

H. macrophylla also blooms on old wood.  Many varieties are marginally bud
hardy, which is why you often don't get flowers after a hard winter or a
hard late frost.   This is particularly true of the Hortensia varieties.  I
find the Lacecaps are more bud hardy, although mine got hit by our late
frost this year pretty hard and I will be surprised if I get any bloom. 
They were just leafing out when the frost hit and it killed them
practically to the ground :-(   H. macrophylla  do best the farther south
you go and are not good in USDA zone 5 without a protected micro climate. 
They are rated hardy to USDA zone 6.  All varieties of H. macrophylla
should be pruned immediately after flowering.  I also prune out deadwood in
early spring after they have started to sprout leaves and you can see which
buds made it through the winter.  I don't take out healthy canes, only dead
ones on this species.

We've had a running thread on Gardens-L about the H. macrophylla
'Variegata', which few of us can get to bloom in the garden.  Mine is
continually killed to the ground each winter - even last winter, which was
very mild.  I have one in a pot and it has finally produced a flower bud. 
The question has been "Has anyone - USDA z. 8 and north - *ever* had one
bloom in the garden?  And, if so, what are your secrets for cultivation?"  
Anyone on this list have any input on this plant?

H. arborescens is another story.  I cut my 'Annabelle' to the ground early
each spring and it gets about 5 feet tall and blooms like crazy.  This one,
at least in a fairly shady location, needs some kind of staking or support
unless you don't mind it flopping over a wide area when in bloom.  The
flower heads are huge and heavy when it rains and the stems can't support
them.

Marge Talt, zone 7 Maryland
mtalt@clark.net
Editor:  Gardening in Shade
http://www.suite101.com

Who is a real fan of all Hydrangeas and wishes she had at least one of
every kind.

----------
> From: Christopher Lindsey <lindsey@mallorn.com>
> Subject: Re: Hydrangea pruning
> Date: Sunday, June 01, 1997 11:46 PM
> 
> > Can't wait...okay...I've seen several different methods of pruning H. 
> > macrophylla...which does anyone here suggest and why?
> > 
> > leaving the flower heads on over the winter as a 'protection' against
winter 
> > damage, and pruning these flowered stems to the ground early next
spring
> > leaving the flower heads on and pruning back only to the first pair of
new 
> > buds
> > prune close to the ground as soon as the flower heads wilt 
> > 
> > And how about H. quercifolia? When/how do you prune this?
> 
> I've heard about leaving the flowerheads on over the winter, but I don't
> think that there's any proof.  H. quercifolia flowers on new growth, so
> it should be pruned after flowering.
> 
> For more detailed information, visit this URL that talks specifically
about
> pruning hydrangeas:

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