Cutting hydrangeas in spring: 6 tips

Hydrangeas inspire with a long flowering time and impressive flowers that are an ornament even in winter. These attractive permanent bloomers are particularly easy to care for, but many hobby gardeners are unsure about the cut. Please note this if you want to cut hydrangeas in spring.

Note the cutting group

In order to be able to enjoy this bloom year after year and to keep the plants in shape, most hydrangea bushes should be pruned regularly. When the right time has come and, above all, how deeply it can be cut, the respective type or size decides. the corresponding cutting group.

Cutting group 1	Cutting group 2
Flowering behavior	- bloom on last year's wood	- bloom on the new wood
Cut time	- from the beginning of March - when night frosts are no longer to be expected	- from the end of February - essential hardier
Hydrangea species	– Farm hydrangea - Oak leaf hydrangea - giant-leaved hydrangea – Velvet hydrangea - Hydrangea	– Snowball hydrangea - Panicle hydrangea

Cut cutting group 1 a little

In order not to damage or even completely remove the fresh shoot, hydrangeas in this cutting group should not be cut too heavily in spring. With these species, the pruning should generally be rather small. Ideally, in the first three years you begin to gradually build up a shrub structure by one, two- and three-year old ground shoots initially produce the strongest and most promising ones selects.

• Cut off excess shoots close to the ground
• Annuals with a scaffolding function do not cut for the first three years
• From the fourth year onwards, thin out the oldest scaffold shoots at the base
• Remove dead inflorescences
• Make the cut below the flower
• above the first pair of buds
• Cut out dead and weak shoots seamlessly
• Cut off shoot tips that have frozen in winter
• at the level of the first healthy bud
• Remove branches that cross and grow inside

Older hydrangeas of this cut group where the flowering is already declining and the As baldness progresses, a tapering cut can be made from late January to March first be subjected. In doing so, you clear out all the aged shoots, leave the best ground shoots and shorten them by one to two thirds. The cut should again be made just above a pair of buds.

Note: Hydrangeas from this cut group are a little more sensitive to frost and can like to freeze back a little in severe winters. As a result, pruning measures in autumn are not recommended.

Cut cutting group 2 more heavily

Hydrangeas of cut group 2 are usually cut twice a year. As already mentioned, the first cut is made in early spring and can even be stronger. Here, too, it is advisable to first build up a bush framework.

• select five to seven ground shoots in the second year
• Shorten close to a pair of eyes to 20-30 cm
• Remove ground shoots that are not part of the scaffolding
• Let scaffolding shoots grow to the desired final height for the next two to three years
• Cut back side branches on two eyes
• from the fifth year shape and clearance cut
• remove two of the oldest scaffolding shoots near the ground
• Shorten annuals to 20 cm
• Cut back side branches except for one pair of eyes
• Remove dead wood seamlessly

Tip: After flowering in autumn, a second cut is usually made. After that, these species often flower again.

Body section not fundamental

If you want to do without a structural cut, the pruning measures are limited to shortening all ground shoots to short stubs with a pair of eyes and removing dead wood. This year's long shoot with a terminal inflorescence sprouts from each eye, and the number of branches doubles every year. The oldest ground shoots are thinned out at the base and the annuals are shortened to 30-40 cm. Of the annual side shoots, only two pairs of eyes remain.

Use good quality tools

The basic equipment includes secateurs and a folding saw for cutting thick branches. When it comes to secateurs, you have the choice between bypass scissors with two blades and anvil scissors with only one cutting edge. The bypass scissors are suitable for soft and thin wood, while anvil scissors cut hard and dry wood. Bypass scissors also have the advantage that they make precise cuts, the edges of the cut do not fray and bruises are avoided. Both secateurs are also available as telescopic shears, which are suitable for cutting large types of hydrangea. At best, the tools can be taken apart, which makes cleaning and replacement of blades and / or saw blades easier.

Tip: The cutting tools should be used before the cut sharpened and disinfected to prevent the ingress of fungi and other pathogens and to avoid bruising.

Avoid cutting errors

For a beautiful shape, healthy growth and abundant flowering, gross errors in the pruning should be avoided as far as possible. As a result, there are a few things to consider when cutting hydrangeas in spring:

• Remove dead inflorescences only after winter
• protect flower roots from frost damage
• break out by hand at best
• accelerates bud formation
• Do not cut panicle and snowball hydrangeas too late or too weakly
• the later the cut, the later the flowering
• if pruned slightly, no strong shoots, no large flowers
• do not cut off all shoots at ground level
• The habitus of the plants would be lost

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