Pruning Hydrangea – Everything You Need to Know in a Nutshell

Pruning HydrangeaHow Pruning Hydrangea Can Rejuvenate Your Plants… Or Ruin Their Beauty

Hydrangeas are strikingly beautiful flowers, and with minimal effort they can take care of themselves.
However, if there are any dead or faded flowers or stems, you may need to start pruning your hydrangeas. This should be done immediately.

There are two ways to go about pruning hydrangea. That’s because there are two types of hydrangeas: old wood hydrangea and new wood hydrangea. If you aren’t sure which type you have, you can check the plant label if you have it. If you don’t have it, you can still look at the leaves.

In this article we will go into more detail on how you can check which type of hydrangea you have and how to start pruning hydrangea of either type.

Old Wood Hydrangea

Old wood hydrangea includes mophead, lacecap and oakleaf flowers. This type of hydrangea is referred to as old wood because they have flowers that bloom on old wood. The term old wood refers to last year’s growth, which means that the buds are set in the fall and are projected to bloom in the spring.

Mophead and lacecap have serrated dark green leaves. Oakleaf, as you would expect, are just like oakleaves and they turn red in the fall.

Old wood hydrangeas are from the Macrophylla family. These include Nikko Blue, Endless Summer and several other blue and pink flowers.

When to Prune Old Wood Hydrangeas

It’s more important to know when not to be pruning hydrangea of this kind. Don’t prune these after August or you might prune away next year’s flowers. Before August you can cut flowers with long stems for floral arrangements. After August you can cut off flowers with short stems to avoid losing buds that will bloom the following year.

New Wood Hydrangeas

New Wood flowers include Annabelle and Paniculata Grandiflora (PG) flowers. These are usually white flowers (white can sometimes indicate oakleaf however). Annabelle flowers have leaves that are a fuzzy gray underneath.

When to Prune New Wood Hydrangeas

When should you start pruning hydrangea of this kind? You can prune these flowers anytime except during the spring (unless it’s early spring), when buds are being set to bloom in the summer. After they have reached three years of age, come winter you can prune them almost until they’ve reached the ground and they will still come back next year.

Additional Tips

  • Once a shrub has matured you should cut the stem back by 1/3 each year to make the plant stronger.
  • Hydrangeas thrive in sunny mornings and shady afternoons. They won’t do well in the shade.
  • They want lots of moisture and need extra watering during the first and second year after being planted, particularly during drought seasons.
  • Hydrangeas prefer following a fertilization schedule. Follow guidelines and instructions on the fertilizer label.

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Landscaping on Slopes – 7 Practical Ideas That Work

Why Beautiful Landscaping On Slopes Is Not Impossible

Landscaping on slopes is, as you can probably imagine, not so simple. Still, landscapers, contractors, and outdoor property management companies can help make their customers ideal visions a reality by implementing these key landscaping ideas for slopes.

The main problems you may encounter when landscaping slopes are:

  • Maintenance
  • Erosion
  • Lack of sunlight (or lack of shade)

The first thing to understand is that you should avoid planting anything on a steep slope that requires maintenance. This will save you the headache of trying to maintain plants on a steep hill, as well as significantly narrowing down your landscaping options.

Next, erosion is a factor that cannot be ignored. It can be a pervasive problem when landscaping on slopes. Choosing the right solutions to counteract erosion is essential.

Finally, you need to determine how much sunlight your slope is exposed to. Certain plants grow better with more sunlight and some grow better with less.

With these three things in mind, here are 7 practical ideas for landscaping on steep slopes.

Landscaping Ideas For Slopes In The Sun Or Shade

1.Shrubs – The root system of shrubs will anchor to the soil and slow water runoff, which is helpful during storms. There are many types of shrubs that can be used for landscaping on slopes. Some grow best in sun and some grow best in shade. Be sure to choose the right type of shrub for your slope.

2.Azaleas – Azaleas will give the landscaping on slopes a beautiful view, especially in the spring and early summer. They will also help counter erosion. Most azaleas can grow in sun or partial shade exposure, but it really depends on the type of azalea that is being sold in your area. Your local garden center will know the best kind of exposure for azaleas in your area.

3.Stair  Steps and Terraces – This option will take a lot of digging work. You may also need to add a retaining wall depending on how steep your slope is.

4.Rock Garden – If you have interesting looking rocks on your slope, you may want to consider turning your slope into a rock garden. If you go with a rock garden, you should consider growing some perennials and low growing vines to add texture.

Retaining Walls and Landscaping

Slope Landscaping In The Sun

5.Trees – Like shrubs, trees also have a root system that will anchor to the soil and slow water runoff.

6.Wildflowers – Wildflowers are beautiful and can give the landscape on slopes a very natural look. They also have the benefit of keeping the topsoil from eroding or washing away.

Slope Landscaping In The Shade

7.Ferns, Perennials and Low Growing Vines – For landscaping on shady slopes, consider these three options. They will help slow erosion by catching rainwater on their leaves, and their roots will help prevent soil from washing away.

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