Hydrangeas - with their stunning blooms that last from spring to autumn - are a gardener's delight.
To keep them flowering at their best, it's essential to deadhead the plants by removing wilted flower heads. This encourages the shrubs to focus energy on root and leaf health rather than seed production.
Amid concerns about the correct timing for deadheading, one anxious gardener noticed her hydrangea's flowers browning while the leaves stayed a vibrant green. Seeking advice, she turned to the Loving Your Garden Facebook group. Jessica Bouziane shared her own experience: "Let's talk hydrangeas. Planted a lovely hydrangea in my front garden, it's only small and had an area to plant one.
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"I used ericaceous soil and have feed for it. The flowers are browning, however, the leaves are lovely and green. Please tell me the best time to deadhead as I don't want to kill it and ideally I'd quite like it to eventually take over the front garden and turn into some sort of monster." Deadheading hydrangeas is straightforward and can be quite satisfying, requiring just garden gloves, pruners, and a container for the old blooms.
Gardeners often find themselves at a crossroads, unsure of the ideal moment to deadhead their hydrangeas. The key, however, lies in knowing the type of hydrangea you're dealing with. As members of a gardening group weighed in on Jessica's conundrum, it emerged that different varieties call for different timings. Catherine Hughes shared her wisdom: "If it is a mophead with round flowerheads on it, leave them on it till spring then prune them off after the last frost. But if it's a lacecap hydrangea with the flatter flowerheads you can prune them off as soon as they die."
Mophead hydrangeas, like those owned by Jessica, should apparently be left until spring, providing protection against frost, unlike their lacecap counterparts. The blossoms serve as a protective barrier for the new buds beneath, which will burst into next season's blooms. It's widely agreed amongst green-fingered experts that spring is the opportune time for this gardening ritual.
Sandra Hill recommended: "Wait until spring and you'll get bigger vibrant blooms for longer next year. The flowers look good in their dried form over winter."
For those daunted by the task, fear not, as it’s said to be a swift snip in under 20 seconds after the worst frosts, just above the burgeoning new shoots, offering winter safeguard to the plants. Gardeners are buzzing with tips on the best time to prune hydrangeas, with Irene Foy echoing Angela's advice, saying: "Yes like Angela said the old flowers protect new buds so the best time is to wait till spring."
Janet Howden chimed in with her own recommendation: "Deadhead during the flowering season, then stop in when it's autumn." Melanie Livingstone added her two cents, suggesting: "You can deadhead it now if it has gone crispy early. Depending on the variety it may make more flowers before the Winter. Don't deadhead after August."
However, not everyone's had a blooming success, as one gardening enthusiast shared their tale of woe about pruning at the wrong time, resulting in a flowerless shrub. Julie Arnott expressed her regret: "I'm so annoyed with myself, I've got two hydrangeas in the back garden, one in front, all planted last year and I've only lately learned that you don't deadhead till spring. Now they're big and bushy but grow no flowers, lesson learned, next year fingers crossed they'll be ok."
