How to Prune Hydrangeas

How to Prune Hydrangeas - In this video I go over pruning of several different Hydrangea species. If you simply prune any of them after they flower, you don't need to know anything else. Of course, if they don't need pruning, it isn't mandatory.
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[@sammysworld5485]

No matter how many times I watch videos on pruning hydrangeas I always get more confused. Yet this was pretty straight forward. You have a talent of explaining things. Thanks Jim.

[@lisacollins7416]

Best explanation of Hydrangea pruning ever!

[@JimPutnam]

Thanks so much for watching!

[@connietowler3725]

I have asked so many times about pruning these, always walk away shaking my head. Now this was informative!!! I actually understand now. From the rains here in Michigan of late, oh my, has just bent my hydrangeas right over horribly, such huge blooms. Now I can trim and not feel scared of killing them. Thank you...

[@agnescarbone6815]

That flower was cracking me up lol😂

[@8helenjhouston8]

Excellent lesson on Hydrangea pruning Jim !!! Thank you for demystifying this topic. This is an example of why I signed up for your Learn to Garden video series - HIGHLY recommended!

[@sandyh.1393]

Thanks for this clear explanation on pruning the different types of hydrangea, Jim! I was so confused until now. I just finished pruning and can't wait to see the results!

[@katiekane5247]

Hydrangeas & Clematis cause such angst among gardeners when it comes to pruning. There's so many types, it can be confusing. Thanks for this Jim, Clematis pruning in the future?

[@dustinterry8610]

I was literally thinking about how and when to prune my hydrangeas and hybrid tea roses , then this video comes out today! Thank you!

[@CherylWolber-ir1yl]

Thanks Jim. Just moved to N.C. from tropical (10) so hydrangeas requirements were a mystery. Such helpful information!

[@annaokie]

Most thorough and most concise hydrangea video I have seen. Cleared up a lot of confusion for me personally, I can’t wait to get out there and look for buds and then prune with confidence. Has anyone seen the “froggy” hydrangea? It’s a beautiful variegated variety that I just planted last season. Beautiful plants.

[@annaokie]

I just looked - the froggy is a macrophilia. I do see buds along the stem but they are damaged and shriveled looking :( I pruned back to the bud but hoping it is a hybrid that blooms on old + new wood!

[@christinalw19]

Thank you for this, Jim. I only have 1 in my tiny “shade garden” but it has flourished for 16 years and I want to maintain it. Blessings. 🙏🏼💚

[@dawnmitchell11]

Thank you for including the information on the serrata and oakleaf, they aren't often included in these kinds of videos! Would love to see how to prune a hydrangea into a standard! Thank you for including Holly! Always a joy to see such a wonderful dog!

[@Peachy08]

Thank you for this!! No one has ever demonstrated this as clearly as you!

[@ritajames7797]

Thank you Jim for making this informative, interesting video. I have learnt so much from it and enjoyed your clear demonstration of how to prune a wide range of hydrangeas. You have some lovely plants and I hope they all bloom spectacularly for you this year.

[@meredithskeels2661]

This is so helpful! I planted several new (to me) hydrangeas and was just eyeing them and wondering what to do. I feel way more confident now.

[@mrredithhall7115]

Great clarification about pruning hydrangeas. Thanks !

[@dawnb7457]

Thanks Jim, I'll be watching this several times while preparing for spring. 😎👍

[@yonettethomas6270]

Thank you for this! Exactly what I needed.

[@Melanietucker]

Thank you for this! Your ability to teach and tell details is very helpful for this beginner gardener.

[@beckyscheller9358]

Good and simple explanation for pruning hydrangeas. Learn the the hard way on oakleak. Cut all my blooms off one year came back better than ever the next tho. Love them all favorite one is called Bobo by proven winners ( zone 5 Indiana)

[@vintagemotorcyclerepair4052]

Should have titled this one "Jim wears a fig leaf"!

[@sandymcgregor8858]

😊

[@gaysullivan1942]

😂😂

[@RalphSampson...]

I noticed that, too. LOL

[@knicole2519]

Jim grows a bush lol

[@carldaniels4827]

hahahahahaha too funny

[@HoosierDaddy_]

Thanks again for showing us exactly how to do this correctly!

[@persephonespomegranate]

Love my Moondance hydrangea, as well! Mine’s only been in the ground a few years in a full sun, tough location so it hasn’t grown as much as I’d hoped but hopefully this spring/summer it will have a bigger growth spurt. What I love about it is the size of the flower heads in relation to the sturdiness if the stems - I have tried other white paniculata varieties and this one stays the most vertical for its size. I’d also like to try Little Hottie...

[@yakimastanley7162]

Your video is awesome, especially for someone beginning to get into this plant!

[@DeanFamilyAcres]

Great information and reminder to get out and clean up the few variates we have.

[@ScottIsMyName]

Have a Hydrangea Serrata Blue Billow I planted a few weeks back. All of them are pretty for sure. This season my focus will be on Rhododendrons and Azaleas, including natives.

[@vickitucker9930]

Thank you, I am a novice and I learned so much from this video!

[@judymiddleswart9350]

Also love the MOONDANCE I PLANTED ONE IN JUNE AND WOW IT TOOK OFF NEVER SKIPPED A BEAT HERE IN N W FLA I WANT TO TRY TO FIND MORE!!!!

[@gwennsmith6699]

Thank you for this video. It was so helpful as I'm just learning about hydrangeas.

[@ItsMyLifeDaralynn]

Very concise ! I appreciate the time you spent explaining this . I don't like all hydrangeas , but it has always been on oof my favorite flowers. I have the big pretty blue ones with large beautiful leaves. I've been trying to figure out the type for a while . I bought them from Home Depot , a place where it seems like no one has any knowledge about flowers. They aren't labeled either, but they were so beautiful I could not resist them. I've had them since March 2024, they've gone through a lot of stress by dealing with my lack of knowledge . hahaha, 😂 I'm on KZbin University every chance I get to learn more and more about them. Again, Thanks !

[@user-hr4rv8rf1w]

Love the blue and white blooms

[@katherinecornette5315]

Great tips! I have some old & new varieties so this will be helpful.

[@cece_marie]

Hopefully this video reaches people far and wide - I met someone who hadn't had a macrophylla bloom in 6 years b/c of pruning. 😭

[@ThisIsMatt]

Great video, very helpful!

[@AmirsAllotment]

Very informative Jim! 😊

[@mariaeichhorn9182]

Thanks for sharing this information. We are getting ready to move into a house that has existing hydrangeas. I had no idea how to care for them

[@DIRTYSANCHEZPSG]

Very informative. Got mine from Sam's club. In colorado springs and wondering when to prune. After winter obviously. But these plants are fairly young.

[@maureenmckenna5220]

Pruning after flowering is perfect advice for all hydrangea. Personally, I can’t stand to look at scraggly branches into spring, so I have only two hydrangea left that bloom on old wood. If the old wood type get damaged over the winter you will have very few blooms because the buds on the ends of branches have been killed off. With the newer varieties, there is no danger of this. I leave all old blooms on, until spring, when I see the new green appear, and then start to cut back.

[@RalphSampson...]

I have limelights. They are too big and look bad. It's now almost Halloween. Can I prune them close to the ground? They are about 5 years old.

[@maureenmckenna5220]

@@RalphSampson... There is Little Lime, five by five maybe, and regular Limelight’s, which grow really tall. For Little Limes, I prune in the spring. I took the advice of another gardener online, and pruned all, and I mean all, of the small pieces and left only the strong, thick branches. I cut them down to about 2-1/2 feet, no matter how big they were. What this did, this year, was allow the sturdy branches to support the flowers even through heavy rain. There were as many blooms but they were smaller, which was fine with me because they were erect. I have one regular lime, about 10 years old. It grows to about 12 feet tall, but I cut it down in the spring to almost half. You might find a lot of suckers and small branches at the bottom, and I have taken them out too. I prune it pretty heavily in the middle too, taking as many of the smaller branches out as I can, until I just get tired of it. It ends up being about four feet tall, maybe, plus about a foot or two more being the branches where the new shoots will grow. This way, when it starts to grow, it doesn’t get unwieldy, and grows sort of like an umbrella. Don’t know which you have, but both benefit from pruning. You can cut them now, by the way, but I don’t mind the brown flowers staying there all winter. I like it better than the bare branches. There is a lot of debris when cutting these back, but it’s worth it.

[@lisapearson78]

Agree with the others! Clearest explanation ever!

[@saraw8503]

Thank you for identifying the likeness and difference between these hydrangea varieties. I have trouble with viburnum. So many varieties and different habits. I bought Dr. Dirr’s book but still I struggle with viburnum ID. Can you help simplify this?

[@ceepark114]

I have a Hydrangea bush that has gotten so big, not sure of the variety, it is the standard type with blue large flower heads. Right now it is showing a little sprouting on the end of some stems. I haven't trimmed the flower heads yet but I am going to try to shorten the bush this pruning. Thanks for this info.

[@megancullinane8289]

Good Morning Jim. I have yet to watch your video. I am also a Putnam. From N.H. I have tons of Hydrangeas, and with the horrible winter we had, everything is destroyed. K, gonna watch vid. Looks like this is the right video by the comments made on it...ty

[@shotdog4200]

Jim, this might be a question for Sunday! but, would this be a good time to take the stems that have buds that are trying to grow, "now" and try to root them? since they are fating up their buds would they root faster?

[@susieeguez2148]

Love your videos! Can you please talk about how to prune old large spiraea shrubs? I live in Raleigh. Thanks!

[@karenschwartz5209]

Great video, thanks!

[@lindahill7315]

Thank you. I have 3, 2 are in containers and I can't remember the last time it bloomed. This year I am putting them both in the yard. This video tells me what I am doing wrong. Unfortunately I don't know what kind these 2 are. They came in packages from Lowes or Walmart. I do have a limelight (?) In another spot that bloomed a couple times but after what you just said tells me it needs some pruing too.

[@erinblanton123]

Thank you! Great video.

[@lamerson771]

Very good explanation!

[@adz5bneweng589]

Great video - thank you! Question on macrophylas: are the single buds the flower buds and the 2 opposing buds leaf buds?

[@margaretstanford4349]

What do you use to treat leaf spot on the endless summer hydrangeas and when do you apply it? Thanks, I do enjoy your timely videos here in zone 8a.

[@crystalchunn6925]

Great explanation!

[@janaylsworth7636]

I guess what I have are mopheads. They were transplanted to my house about 25 years ago and are from a mother plant that's at least 60 years old. I think I'm in zone 6, and what we battle are that they will start to bud in February if we have some warm temps, but we may lose the buds when it gets very cold again before spring. Some years they don't bloom at all because of this, but they've done well the last few years. I never prune them ... just cut off the spent blooms in late spring. Thanks for the video.

[@ep574]

Can you do video on protection throughout winter for the hydrangeas. I live in zone 6. Several different methods to cover to protect the buds from being destroyed. Greatly appreciated. Thanks

[@myfloridagarden8477]

Great video!!! I’m in Florida zone 9b after pruning hydrangea paniculata is it ok to fertilize then too?? Thank you

[@stephaniesharkey3538]

Great info- thx

[@TrudySchwartzBurrill]

Thank you. I moved my Hydrangeas from the north side of my house which should have been great that in a new neighborhood with no large shade trees in Texas scorching sun last year they were new. I moved them to my back yard and have them in front of the fence in the back southwest corner. It get the most shade in my gardens. I left everything on them and have been wanting to know how to insure them come back this year. 🤞Last summer in early summer the flowers just Burt up in that heat wave. I could barely be outside last summer.

[@susannahlewis8464]

On nice, I was just wondering about pruning my hydrangea

[@mohsen7021]

Thank you so much

[@judymckerrow6720]

Thank you Jim.❄️💚🙃

[@JimPutnam]

Thank you!

[@noellekilleen2304]

Excellent video 👏👏👏

[@christinebeames712]

Great info , just subbed x

[@judycarter587]

Jim, do you have any advice for success with growing astilbe in zone 8?

[@nhatngon]

Very informative. Thank you! Do you have to cover the plant during the winter? Thanks again for your advice.

[@budoneof15]

Very helpful for me. Thank you. If you need the camera to focus on a small area like a bud, put your open hand behind the bud.

[@JaimeBGilliam1]

Great explanation! I didn’t have the time or patience to prune my limelight’s branch by branch this month…so I pruned them back with hedge clippers. I was thinking how tough they are, but was that a huge mistake?!!

[@karenbrewer3362]

Thank you for all your wonderful content. Is there a “blue” hydrangea that can take full sun - 8 hours minimum- south facing location in Rockingham NC?

[@tami7409]

Thanks for the video. Love hydrangea ❤ I have a few small brushes of hydrangeas always growing a lot of leaves 🍃 but no flowers. Any advice or recommendations I should look into? Thanks.

[@ElizabethM824]

I have a ruby slippers hydrangea that has been in the ground for about 3 years. I want to move it because the tag said it would grow to 4 x 4 but I can tell it will stay much smaller. So I want to move it where it will be seen better. Can I move it now? Seattle area Zone 8B. Thanks!

[@frsujongaming]

So really nice vedio

[@suzannebartow6390]

Thanks for the help.....are you going to show pruning clematis sometime, another plant that confuses me?

[@Jane-dg3rr]

Loved listening to you talk about hydrangeas. I know nothing about gardening but really wish I did - I never know where /how to prune anything ( what is the best time of year to take a cutting off the hydrangeas?) 🇬🇧🇺🇸🌸🌸

[@basanteena]

Jim - I have an anise growing as a hedge along my foundation that was extremely overgrown. We had someone cut it back last year. Unfortunately, they also pruned it into a tree formation so now the anise has barely any growth along the lower 3-4 feet and then a bunch of growth on top. It now looks strange and very top heavy. Any way I can remedy that? If I were to take it all down to 2 feet from the ground, would I be doing irreparable damage to it? Would love your input. FYI - I'm in Georgia and this anise has been on my property for 15 years. Thanks!

[@alexandrakozub2501]

Hi what about standard limelight I want huge flowers should I just leave it with old flowers and large steam and branches?

[@Devon727]

Will you be mulching over Oak leaves? I always thought they do not break down easily and would block passage of water.

[@dianehoffman3508]

A friend gave me, what she called a native hydrangea. They do not bush out and look like single stalks. They spread by runners. The blooms are pink and look a little like lace caps. I have quite a few that have spread under evergreen oak trees, and they don't get very tall. Some bloom and some don't. I assumed they needed shade. Not sure now. How would I prune them? Are they really hydrangeas? I live in central Texas, zone 8b. Thanks for your help.

[@helensmith7177]

Can you speak to moving a hydrangea and the Size of the rootball and care need to take when digging out. Thanks!

[@gregswoman6018]

I’m in Sacramento Ca and I bought a blue hydrangea at the grocery store. I have not planted it yet but I’m planning on it. The blooms are starting to turn brown and I’m wondering if I should prune it after they are completely dried up or can I do it now?

[@MrsBrown011]

My oak leaf hydrangea doesn’t lose it leaves in the winter, but the leaves don’t look great. Would you just keep the old leaves even if they look tattered? Zone 8b Seattle

[@hilarymathison4289]

This was really helpful, thank you. Here in UK hydrangeas a re becoming very popular again. Quick question…the macrophylla get bigger and bigger, so can you cut to lower buds? You implied that was ok….Also they get quite spindly over time, so I was thinking of taking a few stems out to the ground to stimulate new strong growth . OK?

[@karenb6771]

So to be sure, I prune them in the winter or early spring for this kind of Hydrangea? We had a hard frost this year in Western Nc that harmed my plant somewhat, even though it was covered.

[@shawnfox7393]

I cut off about 1/2 the flowers from my paniculata hydrangeas here in Dallas (zone 8a) around July 1 to get a 2nd round of flowers in the fall. Probably doesn't work further north but the long summers here in my area give plenty of time for them to grow and bloom a 2nd time. The cooler nights in fall also tend to let the flowers turn pink whereas the flowers in the middle of summer just turn brown due to the heat. Have to do it it in early July when the flowers are still looking great though to give enough time to bloom again, can't wait for them to turn brown.

[@dawnmitchell11]

Thanks for sharing this tip! I'm about three hours south of you. I have some of the old and new wood type blooming macrophylla and will get a second flush in early fall. I didn't know paniculata would do that. I just picked up a Little Lime this fall, so I will try this the summer after next when it's a bit more mature. I haven't had much luck with these, but figured I'd give them a third try and if they don't go well again, at least I know they just aren't for me! I'm just so shocked that I've had better luck with Endless Summer than paniculata.

[@shawnfox7393]

Despite what the tag says paniculata hydrangea need afternoon shade at least here in Texas. Just too hot for them. Mine did not do well even with some shade last year, but normal summers they do great here in Dallas as long as they get some shade either in afternoon or midday.

[@dawnmitchell11]

@@shawnfox7393 good to know! I try to find locations that are am sun/pm shade or dappled sun through the day for my hydrangeas. I'm glad that they will still bloom with some shade. I know paniculatas like a little more sun, so I wasn't sure if I should just treat them the same basically as the macrophyllas.

[@thewoodchick7462]

I am in South Carolina. When should I dead head and fertilize? I have had the same limelight for over 4 yrs. Does not get more than 20 blooms and has not grown too much taller. I have never fertilized before. Could this help the growing?

[@kimberlyv3283]

Thank you! Seriously!All the other videos are confusing! The other commenters are telling the truth.

[@MelanatedBeautyy]

Can I prune once it’s some green growth coming in? My blooms have already been spent from the previous year and there’s already buds coming in

[@katsview928]

Awesome video! You have done the best I've seen at explaining how to prune each species, however, can you tell me what time of year is the best to prune a Big Leaf (H. Macrophylla) in zone 7b? I have 2 that are absolutely beautiful and have blooms that range in color from light pink through the blues all the way to purple. I have had people stop and walk up just to ask me about them they are so gorgeous. However, they have both gotten a little overgrown, girth wise, and I need to prune them a little more than just the heads and don't want to do it at the wrong time of the year. I also do not want to take the chance of losing them or damaging them in any way. Thank you in advance and thank you for sharing all your valuable knowledge. Have a blessed day.... ☮

[@dylan8285]

Ik for me with hydrangea paniculata I always like to cut off all the thin weak branches to prevent the plant from becoming a rats nest look from collecting a bunch of leaves in the fall. But that’s just personal preference helps with preventing snow collection too

[@jodycoombs7341]

I’m new to this. I thought at the beginning you said to prune right after they bloom. Why do yours still have the dried blooms on them?

[@missdeeva2266]

I want to do mine but I am going to wait another month at least. So much damage in East TN from the artic blast event in December. I've noticed more damage than I had seen after the event. Looks like we lost 5 out of 8 autumn fire azelea and now I think 1 Carolina Sapphire 🌳. It is turning very brown from the inside out...

[@elaineallen1935]

I have a Japanese Hydrangea. I'm understanding, it grows on old growth because I'm seeing new buds. but, i only have have had 2 blooms yearly, white in color) on this 3 year old plant and its at least 3 feet in high. it receives at least 6 hours of sun. i recently read this needs more shade and am wondering if I need to move to more shade. living in michigan makes much challenging.

[@marleneaustin7029]

I have a limelight hydragae that was my dad's from 1986. I transplanted it to my yard about 10 years ago and I'm afraid to do anything to it gor fear that it will die. It did get some dead limbs to the ground, and I removed them but that's all. How can I safely take care if it?

[@barbaraepstein6455]

I have problems with my Niko blue. I had only three flowers last week year. 😢

[@JLee-pc2vc]

I too like my Moondance every bit as much as my White Weddings. I'm enjoying the pruning videos! Jim if you want an arborescens, Limetta is a re-blooming machine! It'll bloom June through frost. Sun or shade, wet or dry, they are very low maintenance for me in Virginia 7a. Over the past 3 years of growing them they have become my favorite hydrangea.

[@loribethartist6353]

I live in East Tennessee and a few of our big established shrubs have died …. Wondering if it could have been the December cold spell? They seem to be alive towards the back (up against our house) but the top and front that was exposed is completely brown 🤔

[@janedodson7583]

I have a hydrant and it doesn’t hardly blooms I don’t know what kind it is or how to take care of it.

[@coffeecakes1]

When cutting at the node, could you cut at the same spot year after year, or will the nodes get spent, similar to how house plants do?

[@JimPutnam]

What will really happen is that suckers will become the more vigorous stems on old plants

[@Stubbsusa]

What about pruning tree form hydrangea?

[@bigeasy1950]

He said prune after it flowers. It’s June and my hydrangeas are getting to big. They have flowered. Do I need to wait to the winter?

[@teddorsi5371]

Lorapetalum! First Comment!!!

[@missdeeva2266]

Lol

[@josephineherrera8508]

Where are you located? I have three macrophyllas and after twenty years, I got two flowers this year in Vermont.

[@jimbojackson2900]

Hey Jim. I’m having trouble with my Macro-phyla hydrangeas. They have grown approx six feet high and five feet wide and are now taking over my Japanese maple/other plants. How do I prune it to make the plant smaller in its overall size?

[@marjanaavsec8392]

Last year at the end of fall, I cut mine low to the ground. & They came back very tall again! So I just pruned one of them, and will see if there is a difference with the ones that will be left to prune in the spring.🤷‍♀️