October 2024 Newsletter

Hydrangea quercifolia 'Amethyst'

The best rule of thumb to keep in mind is that different types of hydrangeas require different levels of care because different hydrangeas bloom in different ways! Oakleaf hydrangeas (Hydrangea quercifolia, like ‘Amethyst’ and ‘Snow Queen’ among others) and bigleaf hydrangeas (Hydrangea macrophylla, the most common hydrangeas in shades of pink, blue, or purple) produce flowers on old growth, meaning that the only care they need should be done in the summer or fall. If you notice that your bigleaf or oakleaf hydrangeas are starting to look a bit rough, you can deadhead flowers and thin out weak or misshapen branches after their bloom window has finished. This will open up the plant to allow for new growth over time, but will also allow old growth to stay in place in order to produce flowers the next season. 

 Panicle hydrangeas (Hydrangea paniculata, like ‘Limelight Prime’) and smooth hydrangeas (Hydrangea arborescens, like ‘Annabelle’ and the ‘Invincibelle’ series), produce flowers on new wood, meaning that to encourage bigger, better, and more flowers, plants should be pruned to allow for more new branches to form. The best way to get good results with encouraging new branch growth is to wait until late winter/early spring for hydrangea buds to begin swelling, and then cut plants back by about 1/3 of their height, leaving a pair of new buds to grow in place of the old branch that you’ve taken out.