www.finegardening.com

Hydrangeas are staples for southern gardens. These happy bloomers can be lovely low-maintenance additions to the landscape, providing summer-long flowers.  If placed in a low spot, the plants will receive extra rainwater, helping them to survive tough summer conditions.  Shielding the plants from direct afternoon sun will help reduce their water requirements as well.

How to prune a hydrangea is a common question among homeowners.  If well-placed, a hydrangea can expand to its full size without ever needing pruning. That’s right: you don’t ever need to prune your hydrangeas to get great flowers year after year.  However, if planted in tight quarters, you’ll need to prune your hydrangea each year to keep it within the intended space requirements.

General Guidelines:

• prune in June and July
• remove all dead stems at ground level
• remove fading flowers for reblooming by cutting green stems only
• for Mophead Hydrangeas, change the color from blue to pink by adding lime or peat to the soil (pink = alkaline soil, add peat to change to blue;  blue = acidic soil, add lime to change to pink)

Resources:

• Hydrangeas! Hydrangeas! http://www.hydrangeashydrangeas.com/pruning.html
  a site all about the enjoyment and care of hydrangeas
• Garden Lady http://www.gardenlady.com/pruning_hydrangeas.html
• Gardens Alive http://www.gardensalive.com/article.asp?ai=761
• Fine Gardening http://www.finegardening.com/how-to/articles/how-to-prune-hydrangeas.aspx
• GrowingWisdom.com http://www.5min.com/Video/How-to-Prune-Hydrangeas-4036046