How early or late should I trim back my hydrangeas in the fall?

Barb494
by Barb494



  6 answers
  • Iris Iris on Sep 26, 2018

    Now is a good time. If you wait til spring, you would be unlikely to get many flowers next year.

    • Barb494 Barb494 on Sep 27, 2018

      That’s what happened this year! Is there a certain length I should cut off. They are pretty full.

  • Kathy Kathy on Sep 26, 2018

    I cut mine down in late winter/early spring

  • Alice Alice on Sep 26, 2018

    To get bigger flowers, cut them all the way back. In late winter or early spring, these shrubs can be cut all the way back to the ground. Smooth hydrangeas will produce much larger blooms if pruned hard like this each year, but many gardeners opt for smaller blooms on sturdier stems.

  • Bam24686315 Bam24686315 on Sep 27, 2018

    Make sure you know what type of hydrangeas you have. Some bloom on old wood and some on new wood. Therefore some are pruned in the fall and some in the spring.

  • Em Em on Sep 27, 2018

    In late winter or early spring, these shrubs can be cut all the way back to the ground. Smooth hydrangeas will produce much larger blooms if pruned hard like this each year, but many gardeners opt for smaller blooms on sturdier stems. To reduce flopping, leave a framework of old growth.

  • 29207681 29207681 on Sep 28, 2018

    I've always been told that the flowers bloom on old wood, so I don't prune mine unless they need it size wise.