Today we get to talk about hydrangeas—thanks to Betty Ann Dillon who commented last week with questions about pruning hydrangeas.

She writes: Now, if I could just learn how to prune hydrangeas, I’d be pleased.  What are some good resources?

Lewis Ginter Botanical Garden’s library to the rescue! Specifically, Maggie Southwick, our librarian, and the library volunteers.

The first question to answer when pruning hydrangeas is “What type of hydrangea do I have?” The large pink and blue blooms that are seen throughout Richmond in the spring are Hydrangea macrophylla, or big leaf hydrangea.  These plants bloom on “old wood,” that is, they set their buds for the next year right after blooming.  If pruning is done on these shrubs it needs to be done soon after the spring bloom is finished.  Pruning in winter or early spring removes the flower buds.  Hydrangea paniculata is an upright shrub that can be pruned to a standard.  It’s large white blooms appear in August and September in this area.  It blooms on “new wood,” that is, it flowers on the new growth that appears in spring and summer.  These hydrangeas should be pruned in early spring, before active growth begins.

A good resource for pruning in general is the following book: American Horticultural Society Pruning and Training: A Fully Illustrated Plant-by-Plant Manual by Christopher Brickell and David Joyce, (1996) is an excellent general reference for pruning all types of plants.  The illustrations are particularly clear, and there is always a “When to Prune” entry for each plant.  It has an entire page on hydrangeas.

Two very good articles that go into more detail about hydrangeas are:

“Bigleaf Hydrangeas” by Dick Bir, in the July-August 2003 issue of Fine Gardening, pp. 45-48.

“Reblooming Hydrangeas by Richard E. Bir in the July-August 2003 issue of American Gardener, pp. 32-36. Page 34 of this piece is a “Quick Guide” to the different types of hydrangeas.

There is also a recent book about hydrangeas, by Michael A. Dirr, Hydrangeas for American Gardens, Timber Press, 2004. 

We here at Lewis Ginter Botanical Garden have witnessed firsthand the resurgence in popularity when it comes to hydrangeas—whenever there’s a class, it tends to fill up quickly. What is it about hydrangeas that appeals to us so?

Beth Monroe is public relations director at Lewis Ginter Botanical Garden.

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