Cutting climbing hydrangea: timing & instructions

Pruning climbing hydrangeas is important: you can use our expert tips to promote new flowers and rid the hydrangea of ​​old shoots.

The climbing hydrangea (Hydrangea petiolaris) is a true climbing artist. In old age it can reach heights of 15 meters and grow up to 5 meters in width. In order not to get out of shape, sometimes only the pruning shears can help. But also for lush flowers and the good health of the Climbing plant include cutting measures. The best way to do this can be found in this article.

Why should you cut the climbing hydrangea?

Since the climbing hydrangea grows quite slowly in the first few years and up to the fifth to the eighth If no flowers are formed in the year before, it does not have to be cut regularly during this period will. Only in old age can it climb up to one meter per year if the site conditions are good, which can lead to the climber getting out of shape or too much weight on one side wearing.

Then you should cut your climbing hydrangea, but also weak and overly dense shoots, dead wood and dried up flowers are good reasons for which the use of secateurs is worthwhile. In this way you can create space in the flowering shrub and free the plant of unnecessary ballast. This is important because an airy shrub creates a drier microclimate that makes mushrooms feel less comfortable and thus the risk of fungal diseases is reduced. Removing dead wood also reduces the risk of fungus, as otherwise the spores can find a good place in the wood to survive. Cutting away the unnecessary ballast protects the plant from falling over and prevents shoots from breaking off unintentionally.

If the abundant bloom subsides over the years, a so-called rejuvenation cut can also be carried out on the climbing hydrangea. The main shoots are radically shortened, as a result of which the flowering shrub has to sprout again and sleeping eyes wake up again. Sleeping eyes are buds that were created in earlier years, in the then young shoot, and are now stimulated to develop through the pruning.

Tip: It is best not to or if you should not have young climbing hydrangeas in locations at risk of late frost only work with scissors in late summer, otherwise the interfaces will freeze back too much could.

Why should you cut the climbing hydrangea at a glance:

• When the climbing hydrangea grows quickly with age
• To remove dead wood and shoots that are too close together
• To make a rejuvenation cut and encourage new blooms

When should the climbing hydrangea be cut?

The climbing hydrangea blooms on the wood of the previous year. This means that in autumn after flowering she will lay out the flowering system for the next year. The distinction between whether a shrub sets up the flowering system in the same year or already in the previous year is very important, because the time at which it is cut depends on it. It is best to cut back the climbing hydrangea immediately after it has flowered, i.e. before the new flowering system. This prevents the buds that have already been created from being cut away and the blooming pleasure from failing in the following months.

But you can also use secateurs in spring. The so-called demand cut can be carried out from February to March. Everything that disturbs and robs the plant of unnecessary energy can be removed. These include dead wood, dried up flowers and weak or disruptive shoots. The rejuvenating pruning can also be done in spring. This cut is more radical and is therefore only every four to five years - or when the The number of flowers gradually decreases or the climbing plant grows over your head - completed.

Tip: Since climbing hydrangeas already set up their flowering systems in the previous year, they belong to cutting group 2 among the hydrangeas. This also includes the Farm hydrangea (Hydrangea macrophylla), the Plate hydrangea (Hydrangea serrata ), the Velvet hydrangea (Hydrangea sargentiana), the Oak-leaved hydrangea (Hydrangea quercifiolia) and the giant-leaved hydrangea (Hydrangea aspera macrophylla). Hydrangeas that only develop their buds shortly before flowering can be pruned back in spring without great care and belong to cutting group 1. These include the snowball hydrangea (Hydrangea aborescens) and the panicle hydrangea (Hydrangea paniculata).

Instructions: how much do you cut off climbing hydrangeas?

You need sharp secateurs to cut back. After the climbing hydrangea has flowered, this is used to remove the old inflorescences and cut off the shoots directly above the first pair of buds. Make sure you have clean cut edges so that the plant can heal better. Dead wood or disruptive shoots can be cut off just above their point of origin when pruning as required in spring. If a rejuvenation cut is necessary, the main branches are cut back to a length of up to 2.5 meters in spring. If the branches are a bit thicker, you can use pruning shears or a saw. Make sure, however, not to cut back all the branches radically at once, otherwise there will be no flowering in the next year. Instead, you can only prune a few branches over a few years, but prune them heavily.

Tip: Does your plant climb up the house wall? Then, keep an eye on especially shoots that are growing away from the wall. These should be cut back regularly, otherwise their weight could pull the climbing plant away from the wall over time. Others too Hydrangea species need to be cut regularly. What is it generally about Cutting hydrangeas to consider, we have summarized it for you in this special article.