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Cutting hydrangeas perfectly - tutorial for newcomers

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Author: Louise Ward
Date Of Creation: 4 February 2021
Update Date: 1 July 2024
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How and when to prune Hydrangeas
Video: How and when to prune Hydrangeas

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Hydrangeas are divided into two cutting groups, which can be cut to different degrees

Cutting hydrangeas perfectly - tutorial for newcomers

Home gardeners are often plagued by doubts about the cut care of hydrangeas. In fact, it depends on the type of hydrangea, which cutting rules you are correct. This tutorial has set itself the task of clearing all the uncertainties for newcomers to the hydrangea section. When and how to cut the beautiful flowering shrubs correctly, you will find out here.

Many hydrangea species - two cut groups

By nature, all hydrangea species are easy to maintain and inspire with a long flowering period. In many home gardens even the withered inflorescences in winter are the only ornament in otherwise empty flowerbeds. An improper cut at the wrong time destroys all hopes for the summer flower show. It depends significantly on the species membership how deep a hydrangea is to cut.

The close relationship between species allocation and cut scope does not mean that private hydrangea gardeners have to delve into the botanical tome before cutting. It suffices to deal with the following categorization in two editing groups to familiarize:


A special position is taken by the hydrangea series 'Endless summer'. From a botanical point of view, she is one of the farm hydrangeas. Expert breeders have taught the modern breed line, additionally to the this year's shoots to blossom. The triumphant advance of the modern variety series has led to further innovations being added, such as 'Forever & Ever', 'Everbloom', 'Twist-n-Shout' or the 'Royality Collection'. In a separate section, the tutorial is devoted in detail to the modified cut-back of modern hydrangea series within section I.

Tips

Various German names circulate in the trade for the different types of hydrangeas. Farm hydrangeas are often offered as ball hydrangeas or plate hydrangeas. Panicle hydrangeas are summarily called free-range hydrangeas or butterfly hydrangeas. So that you do not fall victim to any confusion when distinguishing between groups of cuts, please pull the botanical name to consult.


Why is categorization by section group meaningful?

Hydrangeas of Section I lay their buds for the large, terminal flowers and the sprouting of leaves and shoots last year on. A strong pruning tolerate the nostalgic ornamental shrubs in any season. In the late winter or early spring, the scissors destroyed all hopes for this year's flowers. At a cut at the end of flowering, the buds have already moved into position for next year.

Hydrangeas of Section II regulate their growth according to completely different rules. Panicle and snowball hydrangeas bloom in the summer on the this year's shoots, For this cut category, a strong cut is not only completely harmless, but is also rewarded with a lavish flowering abundance.

Cut hydrangeas of section group I - all types of cuts at a glance

Section group I - Instructions for the construction section

The instruction for a targeted construction cut is aimed at gardeners who want to regulate the growth of their hydrangeas from the beginning. Where species and varieties of this section feel comfortable, they become as wide as they are high. At the location with limited space or in the bucket, you can limit the number of floor drives and build a narrower scaffold than it is naturally intended. Within the first three years of your life, you do it this way:

One year old floor drives with scaffold function are not cut during the construction phase. They wear the most beautiful flowers in summer. In the first three years, cut care is limited to the selection of the strongest shoots that thrive on the rootstock. On climbing hydrangeas, please pay attention to an even distribution of the branches on the climbing frame. In addition, you clean out every spring the withered flower heads.

Section I - Guideline for the Auslichtungsschnitt

Under normal conditions, a bottom shoot will remain vital and flowering for 4 years. In the following years he branches out increasingly and carries only small flowers. Ultimately, the outdated branch leans to the ground. The professional Auslichtungsschnitt follows a two-part strategy. The young blossom wood is gently freed of withered flowers. Old blossom wood is being cleared to make room for new skeleton shoots from the rhizome. How to do it right:

The final work step in the Auslichtungsschnitt is dedicated to the remaining one, two and three year old floor drives. The most beautiful flower buds perch on these branches. A cut comes only in exceptional cases into consideration. If a shoot protrudes disturbingly out of the shrub, a derivation cut restores the order. To do this, cut the branch at the junction to a one-year runner.


All withered flower heads cut off over the pair of buds underneath. More than 4 years old or prematurely forgotten ground shoots cut you off without a trace. Annual, unbranched ground shoots and side branches get no cut.

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Proper cutting tool guarantees best cutting care

The quality of the cutting tool is the key to success in the cut care of hydrangeas. For the various types of cuts as basic equipment should be ready: a high-quality one-handed secateurs - either with bypass or anvil mechanism - and a sharp folding saw for cutting branches with more than 3 centimeters in diameter. When purchasing, look for premium quality tools that are easy to dismantle for caring or replacing blades and saw blades. Dedicate yourself only then the cutting work, if all cutting freshly sharpened and meticulously cleaned.

Intersection group I - this is how the rejuvenation cut succeeds

Without an annual cut care, hydrangeas of section group I are in a short time a shadow of themselves. Only few flowers are to be discovered on the over-aged shoots. From the base shrivel up the bushes, because the branches shadow each other in the dense undergrowth. With a radical rejuvenation cut, you will bring out old-fashioned hydrangeas. That is how it goes:

Proceed as illustrated below, even if there are hardly any shoots left in the end. Then fertilize the rejuvenated hydrangeas generously with compost and horn shavings. If no new soil shoots develop by next year, the flowering shrubs are exhausted and are cleared.

Cut off all old, bald ground sprouts at the base. If available, leave unbranched shoots of the previous year because they are blossoming this year.

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When radical hydrangea section Federal Nature Conservation Act take into account


Have you prescribed hydrangea a vigorous curl cut or radical rejuvenation cut? Then please note the statutory grace period. Paragraph 39 of the Federal Nature Conservation Act stipulates that between 1 March and 30 September only moderate carcasses are allowed on all types of woody plants. Radical cutting measures are limited to the winter time. The rules serve to protect wild animals, especially nesting birds. Even during the legitimate period from October 1 to February 28, shrubs and hedges may only be put on the hive if it is ensured in advance that no animals are disturbed in their hibernation.

Skilfully cutting modern varieties - tips for preservation cutting

Classic farmer hydrangeas were the inspiration for the breeding of new variety series, such as 'Endless summer'. The special feature of floral innovations is that they bloom equally on perennial and year-round shoots. As illustrated below, the new hydrangea varieties also tolerate a more vigorous pruning. This is advantageous after frost damage or fungal infections.

Please keep in mind that the beginning of the flowering time will shift far into the summer, if you cut back hydrangeas of this line vigorously. It is advisable to clean out the withered flowers in the spring and to clear out the oldest scaffold shoots.


Wilted flower heads cut off alternatively to the next or lower bud pair. Remove obsolete floor shoots at ground level. Two- and three-year scaffold spindles undergo a derivation cut on the most vital, unbranched side shoot.

Tips

The novelties within the variety family have the ability to post-flowering. Cut off all withered flower heads after the first flowering. As a result, Endless summer other variety novelties will give you a second heyday in late summer.

Cutting Hydrangeas of Section Group II - Table with all cuts

Section II - Instructions for the construction section

The cultivation of hydrangeas of section group II becomes a success story when cut care begins with a built-up section. Based on a framework of 5 to 7 bottom shoots, you will develop viburnum and panicle hydrangeas for a compact and flowering growth. That's how easy it is:

The built-up section of your hydrangeas becomes a masterpiece when you give the shrubs a semicircular shape. For this purpose, cut backward shoots on the inside to 3 to 4 bud pairs. Cut hydrangea drives on the periphery down to 2 pairs of knobs.

Schnittgruppe II - Pruning for flower abundance and preservation of form

Within 3 to 4 years the harmonious construction is completed. Now the cut care of hydrangeas of the group II flows into an annual form and Auslichtungsschnitt. As demonstrated in the figure below, you are brave enough to do something.

Have you decided to take care of the hydrangeas without a structural cut? Then the forming and Auslichtungsschnitt limited to the elimination of dead wood and the pruning of all ground shoots on short stub with a pair of buds. The cut is especially useful if the flowering shrubs can unfold unhindered. From each eye sprouts a long, this year's shoot with a terminal inflorescence. Thus, the number of branches doubles every year, so that a large-scale growth develops.


The oldest floor shoots will clear you at the beginning. One-year old shoots cut back to 30 or 40 centimeters. From one-year-old side shoots remain only 2 bud pairs.

Schnittgruppe II - Hydrangea to the Hochstämmchen educate

Hydrangeas of section group II are the ideal candidates for the education to the romantic Hochstämmchen. As viburnum and panicle hydrangeas always bloom on this year's shoots, they tolerate repeated cuts on the way to the decorative ball crown. The perfect starting point for early seedlings from the nursery of your choice, which has a sturdy 60 to 100 centimeter high central drive. This is how it goes in three stages to the perfect hydrangea trunks:

Educational cut in the planting year

The center drive is set aside a support pile. Soft hose binders serve as connecting material because they do not grow into the bark. Soil shoots sprouting vertically from the root disk compete with the center for light and nutrients. Therefore, cut off these competitive drives without comment. Snowball and panicle hydrangeas grow up to 50 centimeters per year. Consequently, it is already necessary in the planting year to fix the central drive parallel to the height growth on the support pile.

Construction section to the desired height

Beginning with the second year, you guide the central drive with the dominant tip bud to the desired crown height. Remove consistently all competition drives as well as from the middle drive awake side branches. If the stem tip is at least 4 to 5 bud pairs above the targeted crown position, you can initiate branching to the crown. Only then do you cut off the tip, whereupon the growth of side shoots intensifies.

Form and maintenance section

Each spring you subject the crown to a shape and maintenance cut. At the beginning you cut off all competition drives. Then remove all side shoots along the trunk that are not part of the crown. The crown shoots shorten to 1 to 2 pairs of eyes. On this occasion, you are exposing deadwood and unfavorable branches. There is no reason to worry if the appearance shortly after the cut is hardly reminiscent of a high stem with an opulent flower crown. Until the beginning of flowering, the hydrangeas live up to their reputation as high-growth flower wonders.

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Know-how of top promotion optimizes education cut

To raise a panicle hydrangea to the Hochstämmchen, is one of the king disciplines in pruning. If you're a home gardener, you're in the three growth laws, mastering every cut with ease. The law of top promotion has the following key message to the content: "On a Spitzenknpe growth is disproportionately stronger than at lower buds. If the tip bud falls away, the reserve materials are distributed over subordinate buds. "For the upbringing of the tall stems, the regularity is of concern for the crown position. If you cut off the middle shoot with the tip bud too early, you will have to struggle with a puny short trunk. Only cap the trunk tip when the tip bud is 3 to 4 bud pairs above the desired crown height.

frequently asked Questions

Are hydrangeas poisonous?

Hydrangeas are permeated by a toxic glycoside called hydrangin and other toxins. If parts of plants are intentionally or unintentionally consumed, symptoms of intoxication can be expected, such as nausea, stomach cramps, diarrhea and vomiting. Repeated contact of the skin with the plant juices in the worst case causes painful and stubborn allergies. Hydrangeas should therefore be planted out of the reach of children and animals. For care and cutting work wearing long sleeved clothing and work gloves is strongly recommended.

What to do in case of frost damage to hydrangeas?

A harsh winter or unexpected late frost in spring leaves hydrangeas a picture of devastation. As the plants thrive as shrubs, the herbaceous shoot tips are exposed to freezing frost. At worst, the woody shoot area is also affected. You can see frostbite on brown discoloration as well as slackly hanging branch tips and dead leaves. To correct the frost damage, cut affected hydrangeas back to healthy wood in spring. The transition from deadwood to living wood can be found by scraping off some bark. Where fresh green tissue becomes visible, the undamaged area begins.

Cleaning out withered flowers in autumn - is that possible?

The withered flower heads of hydrangeas not only add to the ornament of the wintry garden. Their main function is the natural winter protection for underlying buds. Above all, the popular farm hydrangeas profit from this, if their frost-sensitive flower plants of the previous year are protected in winter. Ideally you do not cut down withered inflorescences until early spring. On the other hand, you will feel the brown heads as a visual distraction factor, and clean your hydrangeas as early as autumn.

Are dwarf hydrangeas to be cut as well as large-growth species?

The same rules apply to the intersection of small hydrangeas as to their majestic counterparts. Based on the botanical assignment, you can determine to which section a dwarf hydrangea belongs. Accordingly, the cut care designed. The popular variety, Tovelit 'for example, remains 60 cm small and comes from Hydrangea macrophylla. As a result, wipe out withered flowers in the spring and cut off deadwood. In contrast, the dwarf panicle hydrangea 'Bobo' only shows its most beautiful side when its shoots are cut back vigorously in the spring.

Are hydrangeas suitable for the vase cut?

In fact, the voluptuous flowers of a hydrangea are recommended for the vase cut. In order to enjoy many weeks of floral jewelry, cut the most beautiful flower stems in August. At this time the flower balls are nice and firm for a long life. Cut short over a pair of eyes, push the shrub at this point again. The stem ends should be cut at an angle to optimize water and nutrient uptake. To prevent rot, it is advisable to remove any leaves that may come in contact with the flower water.

I raised a panicle hydrangea to the Hochstämmchen. Now I'm unsure if I can remove the support rod or not?

A stick also has an important support function after the upbringing of a hydrangea to a high stem. Especially Hydrangea species of Section II carry large flower heads with corresponding weight. In the first 4 to 5 years, as well as in the windy location, the support pile should not be removed.

The 3 most common cut defects

If hydrangeas consistently deny the longed-for flowers or tug at the nerves as bare scrub, one of these three common incisions is usually behind the dilemma.

Is it already too late to prevent a cutting error? Then you simply put the mangled hydrangea on a rejuvenation cut according to the instructions in this tutorial. In this way, you turn the wheel of the cut care on beginning and then rebuild the affected flowering shrub.

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Tips

For all hydrangeas, the change of location is always accompanied by an adequate pruning. After transplanting a flowering shrub, you can easily estimate how much root volume was lost. Correspondingly, shorten the shoots so that the balance between above-ground and below-ground growth is restored. For hydrangeas of section group I remove for this purpose the pase number of old ground shoots, so that the cut is not at the expense of the flower abundance.