Why do so many people prune hydrangeas at the wrong time?

Honestly, I keep seeing neighbors in my area cutting back their hydrangeas in late fall, and then they wonder why they don't bloom come June. In zone 6b where I live, bigleaf hydrangeas set their buds on old wood, so pruning them after August just kills next year's flowers. I learned this the hard way after losing blooms for two seasons straight. Has anyone else dealt with this and figured out a foolproof way to tell people without sounding like a know-it-all?

2 comments

2 Comments

leep337d ago

Yeah, I feel your pain on this one. It took me three years of dead blooms before I finally figured out the old wood thing, and I still get annoyed seeing people hack theirs back in October. I just tell folks to wait until the new growth starts in spring and then cut out only the dead stems, that way you can't really mess it up. Most people think they're doing what's best by cleaning up in fall, but it's hard to convince them to change without sounding preachy. I usually just say "I killed mine twice before I learned, so trust me on this one" and that seems to work better than lecturing.

ruby2907d ago

Aw man, @leep33 nailed it with that "I killed mine twice" line, that's seriously the best way to get through to people without sounding like a gardening snob. Honestly, I just start every hydrangea conversation with "Ngl, I ruined two seasons of blooms myself" and folks actually listen instead of zoning out.