When and how to prune hydrangeas, azaleas, rhodies?
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Here's the info on hydrangeas. Beautiful plant.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=maxUrpsD2yE
Hello there. I'm Cindy. When it comes to pruning, I like the Old Farmer's method: from Spring thru Fall, only prune during months that have a R in their name. For example, you can prune in April but not in May. May does not have a R in it. I like this method because it is easy to remember. I hope you like it too. Best wishes and good luck.
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.
On the primary branches, make your cut just above a latent bud, or even better, a cluster of buds. In severe cases, you can sometimes cut your rhododendron to within 6 inches of the ground.Rejuvenation pruning is best used to restore shrubs that have become leggy, overgrown, or otherwise unattractive.
Many other rhododendrons and azaleas do. When rejuvenating an azalea or rhododendron, fertilize the year before to prepare the plant and then fertilize again in spring (end of April) after the hard pruning to stimulate growth. For smaller azaleas, use bypass pruners to make the cuts
Trim down as short as you want they will come back in the spring
Here's an article about pruning hydrangeas: https://thekitchengarten.com/why-and-how-to-prune-hydrangeas/ and azaleas: https://thekitchengarten.com/cutting-back-old-azaleas/