How to pruning panicle hydrangeas? Should you cut them back in the fall or in the spring? Our tips for the perfect pruning of panicle hydrangeas.
Panomace hydrangeas are particularly impressive because of their large, dense flower panicles, which appear in different colors depending on the variety and also change over the course of the flowering period. In order to keep your panicle hydrangeas flowering and compact, it is advisable to cut them back once a year. However, if you don't have enough time or if you have the panicle hydrangea in a flowering hedge, let me say: Hydrangea paniculata grows excellently even without pruning. Without pruning, it will grow larger over the years and become bare inside the shrub. Eventually, she will bear fewer flowers in proportion to her leaf mass.
If you want to get an overview of panicle hydrangeas, we recommend our special article on panicle hydrangeas. There you will learn everything you need to know about planting, caring for and propagating the pretty hydrangea and get to know the best varieties.
When should you prune panicle hydrangeas?
Panomace hydrangeas are among the late-blooming hydrangea species. Their withered panicle flowers make a pretty decoration in the garden in winter. In the spring, the rods can then be cut back if necessary. The right time to cut back the panicle hydrangea is between mid-March and April, after the last severe frost and before the plant starts to sprout again. In addition to pruning, spring fertilization has a supportive effect, especially for potted hydrangeas, and helps the panicle hydrangea to sprout vigorously and form many flowers. For example, our Plantura organic hydrangea fertilizer with a long-term effect reliably supplies the hydrangea with all the important nutrients.
Pruning panicle hydrangeas: This is how you proceed when pruning
There are different ways of pruning the panicle hydrangea. BasicallyThe following applies: Don't be too reserved. The more you cut back the panicle hydrangea, the stronger the new shoots will be and in summer they will thank you with larger panicles of flowers. Around a third of the crown volume can be shortened per cut. The panicle hydrangea forms the flower buds differently than e.g. the farmer's hydrangea only after budding on the "new", i.e. this year's wood. That's why you don't have to worry about removing or damaging flower buds when pruning.
If you want to keep the classic shrub shape, you should shorten all the shoots to a stub about 15 centimeters high with about 2 “sleeping eyes”. This means dormant buds from which new shoots sprout in spring. You can recognize them as raised dots under the bark. In addition, diseased and dead wood should be completely removed.
If you want to cut your young panicle hydrangea into a tall stem, you must take the following pruning measures in the first year: First examine the plant carefully and select one of the middle shoots that will later form the stem. Decide on a strong shoot that has grown as straight as possible. All laterally growing shoots must be removed. Cut them back completely, i.e. to the base. The left shoot should be stabilized with a wooden stick. In addition, it should be shortened to 2 to 3 sleeping pairs of eyes. In the following years, the shoots starting in the lower area of the main stem are removed every spring and the shoots of the crown are cut back to a length of about 10 centimeters.
If you are interested in planting and caring for panicle hydrangeas and want to find out how you can easily propagate your favorite panicle hydrangea, continue reading our special article on panicle hydrangeas.