Q.Should I Prune My Hydrangea?
My Hydrangea has flowered before and I have pruned it back after the flowers have finished. This year I have only had two flowers, these are buried deep in the leaves so cannot really see them. Should I prune back now as the plant is getting rather big with the leaves hanging over the footpath or should I wait?
This species of hydrangea develops 2025 flower buds in the current summer/fall but does not open them until spring 2025. If you cut now, you will be diminishing or eliminating spring blooms. The lack of blooms in 2024 suggests that you pruned in 2023 after the flower buds formed and then 2024 blooms got cut off. A few back up flower buds lower down some stems managed to bloom though this year but ended hidden inside. Consider pruning a month before you pruned in 2023 to see if that yields more blooms. If the plant is getting too big, consider rejuvenation pruning.
