Deadheading hydrangeas is an easy and satisfying garden chore that instantly improves their appearance.
These structural shrubs are famous for their large, fluffy heads of blooms. Growing hydrangea Relatively easy, they make fabulous garden staples, whether in a wide border, planted in a pot or to brighten up a shady corner. But once those blooms are at their peak, they turn brown and dry, and plants can quickly go from beautiful to dull.
We explain how to keep your hydrangea looking neat during the flowering season. But that’s not the only benefit of deadheading hydrangeas—doing so will make the plant stronger and encourage better blooms later.
4 Easy Steps to Deadheading Hydrangeas
Deadheading flowers always improves the look of a garden display while allowing the plant to harness its energy to bloom better and grow stronger.
With hydrangeas, it’s very easy – just follow these steps:
- Grab a pair of secateurs or, for larger shrubs, garden pruners. Make sure they are sharp and clean so as not to damage the plant.
- Look for hydrangea flowers that are past their prime—their color will fade and turn brown, and the petals will shrivel.
- Remove faded blooms along the stem an inch, he says Christine WalkdenGardening expert and BBC TV presenter. This is so you don’t cut off potential flower buds that are developing immediately below them, she adds.
- At the same time, you can remove any weak or dead stems that crowd the center of the tree, says noted garden journalist John Negus. “If the rest of the shoots are strong and healthy and air can pass freely between them, there is nothing else to do.”
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With an ergonomic design and carbon steel upper blade for lasting sharpness, these bypass secateurs will ease your deadheading and pruning tasks all year round.
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Lightweight but offering plenty of protection, these hard-wearing gloves are perfect for everything from deadheading to tricky pruning tasks. They are tear resistant, puncture resistant and water resistant.
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Spear and Jackson 56418 Garden Snips
Available in a choice of blue, pink or green, these handy little snips make it easy to get in between leaves and snip off individual flowerheads. They are also ideal for pruning, pruning and trimming small plants, including houseplants.
When is the best time to deadhead hydrangeas?
Even if you are Growing hydrangeas in pots Or in the ground, you can deadhead them throughout the flowering season. Start deadheading as soon as the first flowers fade, then continue when your shrub needs trimming.
In colder regions, some gardeners prefer to forgo deadheading mophead varieties of hydrangea altogether. Flowering in winter helps protect the plant from frost, as it shelters the buds.
Lacecap varieties are hardy, so there is little risk of deadheading them freely in colder areas. But, whatever your approach and plant variety, it’s generally wise to stop deadheading hydrangeas in early fall.
What’s more, if you choose to dry the blooms on plants in the winter, it will add interest to your sculpture. Garden design. This can be removed the following spring when you prune your hydrangea.
If your hydrangeas aren’t looking their best this summer, make sure you get up to speed with the root causes. Hydrangeas may not bloom.
And if you prefer the look of blue hydrangeas over pink varieties, our guide How to change the color of your hydrangea will be useful.
