Hydrangeas are one of the most popular garden shrubs and their flowers effortlessly beautify any garden. But as soon as the flowers begin to fade, many gardeners wonder what to do with them: Should you cut off spent hydrangeas or leave them standing? This depends on the timing.
In order to enjoy long-lasting blooms, spent hydrangea flowers can be cleaned out during the growing season. This promotes the formation of new buds and the plant blooms more profusely than ever before. However, this care measure is limited in time. In the following lines we will explain when you should no longer cut off dead flowers and what role the cutting groups play in this.
Cutting off spent hydrangeas: useful or not?
In summer we all want a beautiful and well-kept garden. But as soon as the first blossoms of our favorite summer flowers fade, the beautiful landscape becomes somehow sad. Withered flowers are not the most beautiful sight. And now comes the question: can you remove the faded flowers to make the garden vital again? The short answer is yes. But it depends.
The best time for thatPruning hydrangeasis in spring. Every hobby gardener should know this. At this point, the dried flower umbels are removed, thereby encouraging new growth.
But what about the summer cut? In summer, during the vegetation phase, you can only cut off what has faded. This promotes the healthy growth of the plant. This measure can make the flowers even more lush, as the hydrangea puts its energy not into seed formation, but into root and bud formation.
During the flowering period from June to September, it makes sense to remove the spent hydrangea flowers in order to allow the shrub to grow healthy and strong. Things look different in autumn.
Until when can you cut hydrangeas in summer?
If you regularly remove dead flowers from hydrangeas during the growing season, the plant stays beautiful and clean and its energy for the formation of new flowers is retained. For hydrangeas in cutting group 1, it is very important to keep the last blooms intact. You can trim the bushes if necessary throughout the flowering period, but listenim Augustor at the latestat the beginning of autumnon with it. If you leave the flowers in place, they will act as frost protection for the new buds. You only cut off these last dried flower umbels in spring, around February or March, when the risk of severe frost is lower. The buds can be successfully protected from late frost with some garden fleece.
Remove dead flowers properly
If you want to remove a few wilted hydrangea flowers in summer, there are a few things you should pay attention to. Cutting not only at the wrong time but also in the wrong way can do more harm than good. How to do it correctly:
Start with a pair of sharp rose scissors that are regularly disinfected to prevent disease transmission. Grab the spent umbel and follow the stem to the next pair of leaves. You should see small buds in the fold between the leaf and the stem. Cut the stem about an inch above the new buds. Do this carefully. If the buds are accidentally removed, new flowers cannot develop.
Even better than cutting them off is removing the withered flowers. This allows the plant to regenerate more quickly. Simply bend the flowers sideways with your fingernail and break them out. This stimulates flower formation again in summer.
Does the cutting group still play a role?
Anyone who hasn't planted a hydrangea for the first time probably knows that hydrangeas can be divided into two cutting groups. Hydrangeas in cutting group 1 are:
- Farm hydrangeas (Hydrangea macrophylla)
- Plate hydrangeas (Hydrangea serrata)
- Climbing hydrangea (Hydrangea petiolaris)
- Velvet hydrangea (Hydrangea sargentiana)
- Oak leaf hydrangea (Hydrangea quercifolia)
For these species, it is crucial that the spent umbels are only cut off in spring and not after flowering. They serve as protection from frosty temperatures and should remain on the bush over the winter. If some flowers have withered in summer, they can be removed, cutting off just below the umbel and above the first pair of leaves that have formed.
Hydrangeas in cutting group 2 are only the viburnum hydrangea and the panicle hydrangea. These species bloom on this year's wood and are more likely to have a second bloom in the fall. With these species you can regularly remove wilted flowers in the summer to extend the flowering period. This does not harm the plant, but it is still advisable to leave the last flowers on the bush to protect the hydrangea from frost in winter.
Withered hydrangeas in pots: This is what needs to be done
Among other things, hydrangeas from cutting group 1 are cultivated in the pot. The same rules apply as for garden hydrangeas. Cut off or snap off spent umbels during the growing season and leave them on from the end of August. Pruning takes place in early spring.
