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Hydrangea pruning #859295

Asked February 16, 2024, 6:54 PM EST

I purchased this home in Waconia, MN in early fall. I wasn’t sure when or if I had to prune this plant. Pleas advise. I’ve heard to cut this down to the ground 2” above ground but your site is talking about cutting near the buds. Am I to prune each branch? Thank you in advance for your guidance to properly care for this bush.

Carver County Minnesota

Expert Response

Hi Laurie,

It looks like you have a panicle hydrangea, so you don’t want to cut it back severely and certainly not to the ground. However they will take to shaping very nicely and are tough plants.

How much to prune is up to you. If you want the plant to be about the same height as last year, just clip off the dead blooms and reduce the length of branches by maybe four or five inches. You can also remove any weak branches.

If you think the plant is too tall you can cut it down further, but young  growth will be weak for awhile, possibly leading to branches that bend under the weight of the flowers.

Here’s the U’s guide to pruning your hydrangea:

https://extension.umn.edu/planting-and-growing-guides/pruning-hydrangeas-best-bloom

I hope this helps. Good luck.

MJ Replied February 17, 2024, 9:34 AM EST

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