Now I am lost: just watched a video from a producer/grower that said pruning to the ground produces weak, greener floppy stems. They said leaving the older stems on helps hold the newer, greener stems up. Who are we supposed to believe?
I did not cut them back in list past winter or last month (March). Now, green leaves are forming on the old stems from last year. What do I do? Do I cut just the tops off? Cut at the bottom? (Living in Chicago). Please and Thanks :)
Can I cut it back like this in the fall? I have one on the street beside the sidewalk and it doesn't look nice anymore as it is fall and blooming is over, leaves are brown and flowers are dry. I would like to clean it up a bit for winter.
Here is a link to pruning all hydrangeas from the American Hydrangea Society. ugaurbanag.com/hydrangea-a-southern-tradition/ One issue with cutting them back in fall is you remove protective cover that will protect the plant through the winter and the old blooms look nice in the snow with little birds perched. Before our winters got warmer, many shrubs like roses, hydrangeas were staked around and covered With burlap and pinetags dropped inside around the stems and old stalks to protect) . But also, you want to be sure all the old material is totally dormant. Every time you prune a plant you will cause hormones in the plant to react so if you prune too early or say in the fall before it is dormant..pruning may cause it to send new flushes of growth out. Even if it doesn’t cause shoots, it can cause the wood to stay to tender and be killed in the winter freezes. If those new stems are hit by winter or late spring freezes then they will be killed. Sometimes, that can kill a plant to the ground dead as a doornail. It is because it has started putting all it’s energy,hormones and sap etc up into the stems and it is just too much stress for the plant to have this happen. One year I had my grapes hit 2 times. We had 65-75 degree temps in February for a few days and 50-60s before/after it for a week on either side - popped lots of plants out. Then we got regular temps back. The first time it froze the buds but they started back again at the normal time and then darn if we didn’t get another hard freeze in late April. A few canes tried again in late May but were dead pretty much by July. A couple of regeneration canes tried to come out from the base but we had a really bad winter and they just couldn’t make it. What you need is for no fertilizer/pruning after July 1 except bone meal for bulb plantings in the fall. I say no pruning but simple flower stems are okay just nothing to the main structure in areas that start getting freezes in October. Every area is different but you know when your area has it’s first and last freezes on average. On shrubbery to be pruned, you need to wait until totally dormant and make sure you aren’t cutting off next years buds that you might not notice. Some plants bloom on new wood, some on old wood. And some, you only prune immediately after bloom because they start setting next years buds right then so you need to be quick. For example, don’t prune lilac nor azaleas, rhododendron except right after they finish blooming. Each branch you cut off will not have blooms the next year. Blackberries - you cut the old canes (the ones with berries in the current year) out and leave the new canes from the prior year as they are the ones to fruit the next year on i.e., 2nd year wood. You just tie the new canes up - don’t shorten. You have to be careful with the types of plants in the following because each type have different prune schedules - clematis, buddleia, hydrangeas. There are others but I find these to be the most tedious figuring out which needs what, clematis have 3 different types. www.britishclematis.org.uk/pruning.htm
A pair of loppers would have been easier and safer. Thanks for sharing. Almost all fertilizer has some phosphorus - it is part of the NPK that all fertilizers will show. Specialty might be less or more or possibly 0. I prefer a more balanced organic. Espoma has a number of good ones.
Now I am lost: just watched a video from a producer/grower that said pruning to the ground produces weak, greener floppy stems. They said leaving the older stems on helps hold the newer, greener stems up. Who are we supposed to believe?
They look well established. Does such harsh pruning work ok with plants only planted the previous year?
Very helpful. Thank you for such clear instructions.
Heidi Hayes i
When you prune to the ground are you not sacrificing height of the new shrub the following year? I guess this would apply to the new Incrediballs too.
I did not cut them back in list past winter or last month (March). Now, green leaves are forming on the old stems from last year. What do I do? Do I cut just the tops off? Cut at the bottom? (Living in Chicago).
Please and Thanks :)
I saw my neighbor cut the branch down to the ground. This year there are no flowers, my garden has flowers on every branch.
Pruning should be done in spring?
Can I cut it back like this in the fall? I have one on the street beside the sidewalk and it doesn't look nice anymore as it is fall and blooming is over, leaves are brown and flowers are dry. I would like to clean it up a bit for winter.
Here is a link to pruning all hydrangeas from the American Hydrangea Society. ugaurbanag.com/hydrangea-a-southern-tradition/
One issue with cutting them back in fall is you remove protective cover that will protect the plant through the winter and the old blooms look nice in the snow with little birds perched. Before our winters got warmer, many shrubs like roses, hydrangeas were staked around and covered With burlap and pinetags dropped inside around the stems and old stalks to protect) . But also, you want to be sure all the old material is totally dormant. Every time you prune a plant you will cause hormones in the plant to react so if you prune too early or say in the fall before it is dormant..pruning may cause it to send new flushes of growth out. Even if it doesn’t cause shoots, it can cause the wood to stay to tender and be killed in the winter freezes. If those new stems are hit by winter or late spring freezes then they will be killed. Sometimes, that can kill a plant to the ground dead as a doornail. It is because it has started putting all it’s energy,hormones and sap etc up into the stems and it is just too much stress for the plant to have this happen. One year I had my grapes hit 2 times. We had 65-75 degree temps in February for a few days and 50-60s before/after it for a week on either side - popped lots of plants out. Then we got regular temps back. The first time it froze the buds but they started back again at the normal time and then darn if we didn’t get another hard freeze in late April. A few canes tried again in late May but were dead pretty much by July. A couple of regeneration canes tried to come out from the base but we had a really bad winter and they just couldn’t make it. What you need is for no fertilizer/pruning after July 1 except bone meal for bulb plantings in the fall. I say no pruning but simple flower stems are okay just nothing to the main structure in areas that start getting freezes in October. Every area is different but you know when your area has it’s first and last freezes on average. On shrubbery to be pruned, you need to wait until totally dormant and make sure you aren’t cutting off next years buds that you might not notice. Some plants bloom on new wood, some on old wood. And some, you only prune immediately after bloom because they start setting next years buds right then so you need to be quick. For example, don’t prune lilac nor azaleas, rhododendron except right after they finish blooming. Each branch you cut off will not have blooms the next year. Blackberries - you cut the old canes (the ones with berries in the current year) out and leave the new canes from the prior year as they are the ones to fruit the next year on i.e., 2nd year wood. You just tie the new canes up - don’t shorten. You have to be careful with the types of plants in the following because each type have different prune schedules - clematis, buddleia, hydrangeas. There are others but I find these to be the most tedious figuring out which needs what, clematis have 3 different types. www.britishclematis.org.uk/pruning.htm
A pair of loppers would have been easier and safer. Thanks for sharing. Almost all fertilizer has some phosphorus - it is part of the NPK that all fertilizers will show. Specialty might be less or more or possibly 0. I prefer a more balanced organic. Espoma has a number of good ones.
Nicely described and demonstrated. Please let us know what zone and general location, mid_March temps vary from region to region.
Just pick your early spring right as new growth is starting for Annabelles.