Hydrangeas are beloved for their vibrant summer blooms, but many gardeners are unsure about the best time to deadhead or prune them. According to experts Monty Don and Alan Titchmarsh, the key to bigger flowers lies in a simple March task.
Monty Don advises cutting spent flower heads just above the top pair of healthy buds below the bloom. This removes the dried flower while keeping the stem intact, allowing it to produce new growth and flowers. Alan Titchmarsh also recommends removing faded blooms to keep plants tidy and direct energy into strong growth.
Many gardeners leave dried flower heads on over winter to protect buds from frost. In spring, these can be cleared away. The ideal time for deadheading is late March, after the last frost, when the plant emerges from dormancy. At this point, any winter-damaged wood can be pruned without harming flower buds.
It's important to distinguish deadheading from pruning. Pruning involves cutting stems further back to control shape or size, but must be done carefully. Mophead hydrangeas (Hydrangea macrophylla) bloom on old wood, meaning buds formed the previous summer. Over-pruning in spring can remove these buds, reducing flowers.
For such hydrangeas, pruning should be limited to removing dead, damaged, or weak stems in early spring, along with faded flowers. If major reshaping is needed, it's best done after blooming in late summer. Following these tips can lead to a spectacular display of blooms.
