She also gives you gives you a handy guide on identifying your hydrangeas so you know which is which. Helen Battersby is a gardener, a writer, a power-walker and a garden coach, not always in that order! OK, maybe a really stupid question, but is the "first set of new fat buds" the first set up buds closest to the base of the plant or the first set up buds closest to the tip of the stem?
Can you tell I am a newbie?? Michelle, Not a stupid question at all, and there are really two answers. The first set near the top of the stem will give you more woody material to help support the heavy blooms later in the season.
However, Annabelles bloom on new growth, so are fairly forgiving. If you want to keep the plants more compact, you could even cut them down closer to the base.
In fact, if the old stem seems thinner or flimsier than the others, I'd tend to cut it shorter. Thanks for the information! That may be why she recommends a different pruning schedule. Therefore, cut them down to the ground in early spring. This will provide the largest flowers and sturdy stems. If you want smaller flowers, cut them back to ft. Make your cut just above a healthy bud.
Here is a very good video and also an Extension article. I disagree with your advise to "cut them to ground in Spring".
I cut back to two feet last year and had disastrous results this year; they grew but all over the ground with very few blossoms and almost no branches growing upward. Your method sounds too much like that. Also, liking "to see snow on blossoms" is not a scientific basis for how to cultivate a plant. I expected more of an informed and educated, or experienced answer from this website; not casual observations. Hydrangeas are tricky; the pruning technique has to be specific to the species of plant; not just the weather of the geographic region in which they're planted or someone's personal preference.
Winter interest just happens to be a secondary benefit of this. In addition, pruning in fall in Minnesota signals apical buds to open and new growth to emerge at the time of year when we want plants to move into dormancy for winter. Any new fall growth will freeze. To some level, plants also continue to phototsynthesize into the fall. Any parts of the plants that are still green will continue to create photosynthates that are stored in the root system for next year's growth.
Leaving last year's growth intact will increase the stems, foliage and flowers the plant needs to support with the same amount of nutrients, resulting in smaller stems and flowers. Cutting the stems to the ground will result in the plant partitioning more of its stored carbohydrates to produce stronger, sturdier stems and larger flowers.
Removing last year's stems will also increase light to the new spring growth emerging at the base of the plant. I hope you find this answer more satisfactory.
If you would like to discuss this further, you are welcome to call me at my office: Thank you, Julie, for the well documented reply based on sound biological and scientific fact. Landscaping Services. Wholesale Customers. Hydrangea Pruning Hydrangeas can be broken down into two main types, those that bloom on Old Wood and those that bloom on New Wood.
Mopheads Hydrangea macrophylla. In June or July, deadheading can be preformed with long or short stems with out worrying about removing next years flower buds. After August, deadheading should be preformed with short stems to preserve next years flower buds. Prune in the fall or early winter to control size. This can be done in two ways:.
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