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How to Know When to Prune Hydrangeas  

By stacy ling

Gardening Tips & Tricks

Not sure when the best time is to prune your hydrangeas? Pruning hydrangeas at the right time is critical to getting flowers the next season. Here's what you need to know.

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Knowing when and how to prune hydrangeas is super important so you don't accidentally snip off next year's flowers.

Therefore, it’s even more important to know what type of hydrangeas you have in your landscape to know when to prune them..

With hydrangeas, there are three different pruning categories that depend on whether the plant blooms on old or new wood.

Hydrangea Macrophylla which blooms on old wood. They should be pruned when flowers start to fade.

Hydrangea Arborescens and Hydrangea Paniculata which blooms on new growth. Hydrangeas that bloom on new growth should be cut back in late winter or early spring.

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Everblooming/Endless Summer Hydrangeas which blooms on both old and new wood. Can be pruned when the flowers fade like macrophyllas.

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And if you are not sure what variety of hydrangea you have, reach out to your local cooperative extension or master gardener program and ask  them to ID the plant for you.

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Follow along to learn more about how to properly prune hydrangeas.

Gardening Tips & Tricks

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