Hi Linda,

Thank you for reaching out to us at the UNH Extension Infoline!

I am happy to hear that your Pee Wee (Panicle) hydrangea tree is thriving! You may have noticed that many hydrangea varieties are thriving this year due to a few factors.

Here is our this month's Q&A by Steph Sosinski, Why are there so many hydrangea blooms this year?:

"If you’ve noticed that your garden’s hydrangeas have been especially “flowerful” this year, you’re not alone. Throughout New England horticulturists, gardeners, and admirers alike have observed that this has been an especially great year for hydrangea blooms, particularly of the mophead or bigleaf species (Hydrangea macrophylla). These are the hydrangeas that are best known for showing off flower clusters ranging in shades of blue to pink. Other hydrangea species we have here in New Hampshire include Smooth hydrangea (Hydrangea arborescens,) Panicle hydrangea (hydrangea paniculata,) and Oakleaf hydrangea (Hydrangea quercifolia,) which all commonly display white flowers. So, what makes this year stand out?

There are two primary reasons that contributed to so many hydrangea blooms, both related to, you guessed it, weather! The first factor relates to moisture, or rather the abundance thereof. Like the name suggests hydrangeas grow best in consistently moist, but well-drained soil rich in organic matter. Last year’s wet summer was record-breaking, and rain continued to carry through into the winter, which certainly kept hydrangeas happy on that front.

Additionally, mild temperatures throughout the winter lead to more rain than snow, but also less incidence of damaging freeze events, which is important for bigleaf hydrangeas; this species is best suited down to Zone 6, meaning that they are generally less cold-hearty and more susceptible to freeze damage, particularly for dormant flower buds. Most years often lead to many flower buds not making it through the winter, which is evident in the summer when many question why their hydrangea shrub doesn’t have flowers. Lastly, this year’s hydrangea “bloomfest” may seem more spectacular in contrast to multiple past years that seemed a bit lackluster or worse, due to varying weather conditions related to drought, deep freezes and others. If you want to do your best to promote plentiful blooms for next year mulching soil to conserve moisture and heat during the winter helps, as well as protecting dormant buds from freezing temperatures and pruning at the right time. For more guidance on pruning hydrangeas, please visit https://extension.unh.edu/resource/pruning-hydrangeas-fact-sheet

By Steph Sosinski, Home Horticulture Program Manager"

Regarding top heavy blooms, you are doing the right steps here by trying to support them with twining branches. It is a tricky balance, but you can certainly cut some of the blooms off to enjoy them in a vase (in your home)! Also, making sure you prune back any of the spent blooms can potentially help to alleviate the heaviness.

Where to prune spent/actively blooming blossoms: Panicle hydrangeas bloom on new wood, the current season's growth, so that makes it a lot easier compared to other varieties if/when you'd like to cut off blossoms to enjoy or prune back (when needed) throughout the season. You can look to cut a few stems/blossoms off by making sure you trim just above another large set of leaves further down on the actual stem. If you're looking to have blossoms to enjoy inside, just making sure the stems are long enough to be in a vase with water. If you're deadheading spent blooms, you do not have to cut such a large stem off with blossoms.

Additional resources: 
https://extension.umn.edu/planting-and-growing-guides/pruning-hydrangeas-best-bloom 
https://extension.unh.edu/sites/default/files/migrated_unmanaged_files/Resource008054_Rep11755.pdf You'll find on page 4 there is red marks to show an example of where to prune off of the hydrangea (panicle).

I hope this information is helpful! Have a great rest of your week!

Thank you for the reassurance. I did have to cut some heavy blooms and did cut to the next set of leaves.

I have another question that may require sending along a photo. There are several branches at the top that look out of place, compared to the rest of the branches that are cascading nicely. I can certainly leave them, but the tree would appear more uniform if they were cut back. Of course I will need to consider the future growth pattern of the tree if I do. 
can you advise on trimming this tree? 
Thank you

Thank you for the reassurance. I did have to cut some heavy blooms and did cut to the next set of leaves.

I have another question that may require sending along a photo. There are several branches at the top that look out of place, compared to the rest of the branches that are cascading nicely. I can certainly leave them, but the tree would appear more uniform if they were cut back. Of course I will need to consider the future growth pattern of the tree if I do. 
can you advise on trimming this tree? 
Thank you



Hi Linda

Please do send photos our way so we can look at this closer with you! This will help with assessing pruning needs. Thank you!

HI Linda,

Thank you for sending those photos along. I would not prune out any of those branches towards the top. The correct shape for hydrangea trees is to have that full mounded look, not drooping like a weeping cherry tree, for example. If your tree suffered any winter damage with branches breaking off (we had a few extremely windy storms this spring), that could also have caused a more fragmented growth look to the branches (where there are a few gaps towards the top + where there are top heavy blossom branches).

In my own yard, I have a few shrubs that have not faired well this year due to the winter/spring storms. My rose in the front and butterfly bush in the back are all misshaped from broken branches earlier this season. I know they will heal in time!

If you need to prune out any additional blossoms, I would stay to the branches towards the very bottom of the tree. I would refrain from cutting too much more, if you can help it!

https://extension.unh.edu/resource/pruning-hydrangeas-fact-sheet
https://plants.ces.ncsu.edu/plants/hydrangea-paniculata/

I hope this helps. Have a great day!

Hi Linda,

Yes, the panicle hydrangeas can grow new branches. From your photos, a lot of the misshapen look honestly looks like it is related to the blossoms being top heavy, which makes the branches droop more than be upright. You can read more about pruning and general hydrangea care for panicle variety here:
https://extension.unh.edu/sites/default/files/migrated_unmanaged_files/Resource008054_Rep11755.pdf#:~:text=Panicle%20hydrangeas%20bloom%20on%20new%20growth%20and,be%20reduced%20by%20removing%20a%20few%20branches

https://extension.umd.edu/resource/pruning-hydrangeas/

https://extension.illinois.edu/sites/default/files/hydrangea_v032021.pdf

Have a great day, Linda!