Does Hydrangea macrophylla bloom on old wood?
Bigleaf hydrangea will produce flower buds in the fall for next year on what is referred to as ‘old wood. Over the winter and into spring, the development of the bud continues into what should be a burst of color in May. Once the shrub is established and has a couple of growing seasons under its belt, prune these hydrangeas in the spring down to the ground, or not at all if you want a larger shrub. Flower buds will grow on this season’s growth or new wood.Improper pruning is one of the most common reasons Hydrangea macrophylla don’t bloom. Older cultivars bloom on “old wood” which means that flower buds develop on the stems during the summer the year before they bloom.Hydrangeas are long-lived shrubs, sometimes living for up to 50 years if properly cared for. They enjoy morning sun but afternoon shade, and they need frequent watering during the growing season.For example, Hydrangea macrophylla (lacecap or mophead hydrangeas) bloom on “old growth” wood and should be pruned in the fall by removing 1/3 of its older branches at the base and pruning the remaining stems just above the top set of healthy buds.
How do you take care of a macrophylla hydrangea?
Grow Hydrangea macrophylla in moist but well-drained soil in full sun to partial shade. Shelter from cold, drying winds. To promote fresh, new, vigorous growth on established plants, cut back hard in early spring. Prune strategically: Pruning time depends on the type of hydrangea you have. Bigleaf hydrangeas set their flower buds on old wood, so they should be pruned in late summer or early fall. Other hydrangeas, like smooth hydrangeas, flower on new wood and can be pruned in late winter or early spring.New wood hydrangeas (panicle and smooth varieties) should be pruned when dormant in early winter, but fall pruning can be done to remove dried blooms and help shape the plant. Old wood hydrangeas (mophead and oakleaf) should only be pruned immediately after flowering in the spring and summer.You can clip the dead flowers off the plant just below the bloom, or leave it on the plant into the winter. Most dried hydrangea flowers break off sometime in the winter and any that remain on the plant can be removed in the spring. Don’t “neaten them up”!If you pruned your hydrangea in the spring and it did not flower that summer, then it’s likely one that blooms on old wood, and spring pruning would have removed the buds. If you prune your hydrangea hard in the spring, and it still blooms that year, then it blooms on new wood.
How to keep hydrangeas blooming all summer?
Skip summer pruning to avoid cutting off this season’s and next year’s blooms. Water deeply in the morning and don’t bother deadheading—hydrangeas don’t need it. Most hydrangeas are pruned in spring, between March and April. Leaving their flower heads on over winter helps protect this year’s new buds from frost by encouraging a barrier of slightly warmer air over them.Pruning your hydrangeas just before winter will leave them even more susceptible to winter damage, and you’re at risk for cutting off future flowers. Here’s a snapshot at our guide for pruning hydrangeas: – If it blooms on new wood: Pruning is optimal in late winter or early spring.As Paul explains, the ideal time to trim a hydrangea largely depends on its type, although autumn is never the right time to prune these ostentatious blooms. This is because most hydrangeas already have new flower buds on their stems. By cutting them back now, you would remove the buds and spoil next season’s blooms.If you need to prune your panicle hydrangea—and it can grow huge over the years, reaching up to 15 feet (5 m) in height and spread if you never cut it back!
What happens if you prune old wood hydrangeas?
Because they do bloom so late in the season, they cannot be pruned after blooming the same way you would other old wood bloomers – they simply wouldn’t have enough time to re-grow before short days and cool weather set in. The solution, fortunately, is simple: just don’t prune hydrangeas that bloom on old wood at all. What Happens If You Don’t Prune Hydrangeas in the Fall? Nothing. Your hydrangea may thank you with prolific blooms next year because you didn’t prune it. This season’s flowers will slowly dry up and, throughout the winter, blow off and away.Mophead and Bigleaf Hydrangeas (Hydrangea macrophylla) You do not have to prune your ‘Endless Summer’ since they bloom on both old and new growth, but if you need to cut back, do so immediately after blooming. Remove only dead stems in the spring.Don’t cut down to the ground unless you’re working with Smooth (Annabelle) or Panicle hydrangeas – those bloom on new wood and can handle heavy pruning, but it’s still better to wait until late winter/early spring. Rule of thumb: If your hydrangea blooms in summer on old wood → only deadhead in fall.Pruning hydrangeas that flower on new growth arborescens flower on shoots made in the current season of growth. It’s best to prune these shrubs in February-March so that there’s plenty of time for the plant to grow strong, new, upright stems on which the large flowers will appear later that summer.
Can you prune hydrangeas in September?
The best time to prune oakleaf hydrangeas (hydrangea quercifolia) is in summer—around June to July—right after the flowers finish blooming. If you prune in the fall, you’ll significantly impact next year’s growth by accidentally removing many new buds,” Berendsen says. The best time to prune most hydrangeas is in late winter or spring, with the exception of climbing hydrangeas, which are pruned in summer after they have finished flowering. Different types of hydrangea require different pruning techniques.If left to their own devices, hydrangeas will die back in the winter and grow again in the spring. However, if they are not pruned or cut back, at some point, the branches will begin to become a mess of last year’s wood and this year’s wood. Eventually, this could inhibit the growth of the plant and impact its blooms.In late winter or early spring, these shrubs can be cut all the way back to the ground. Smooth hydrangeas will produce much larger blooms if pruned hard like this each year, but many gardeners opt for smaller blooms on sturdier stems.If you have had problems in the past with your hydrangeas not blooming, it may be because you have pruned them at the wrong time or the frost has killed your blooms. Now is the time to prune them. September will be too late.
When should you not cut back hydrangeas?
Bigleaf Hydrangea (Hydrangea macrophylla) These bloom on old wood. Prune only dead stems and lightly shape right after blooming. Avoid spring or fall pruning or you may remove next year’s flower buds. Pruning hydrangeas that bloom on new wood Next year’s flower buds won’t be formed until late spring the same year they bloom, so there is no risk of removing the buds if you prune in fall or spring. If you like the look of dried flower heads in your garden in the wintertime, leave them on and prune them in spring.Hydrangeas that bloom on old wood and hydrangeas that bloom on new wood and neither of those should be pruned in fall. Oldwood hydrangeas start forming their buds in late summer and early fall. So, these buds are then going to be the next spring’s blooms.What to avoid in fall *Don’t hard prune old-wood types (Bigleaf, Oakleaf, Mountain hydrangeas) – they set buds in summer for next year, and cutting in fall removes those buds.Do they bloom on old wood, new wood or both? The trickiest thing about hydrangeas is that different types have different flowering shrub habits: Panicle and smooth hydrangeas flower on new wood (growth created in the current season).