Hydrangea pruning

[mikefeigin]

Hi everyone,
** I just moved into a new house (Long Island, NY) and have found 2 unpruned hydrangeas.* There are some green buds that have appeared in the last week or so.* Can I still prune the plants without killing the new growth for this season?* If so, how much should I prune?* Thanks!

[Newt]

Hi Mike,

Congratulations on your new home!* You don't say what type of hydrangea this is, so it would be impossible to say for certain.* Some are pruned and some aren't, but they all get pruned the year before.

Hydrangea arborescens (Annabelle types) and Hydrangea paniculata (PeeGee types) are pruned in fall, but you might be able to prune it now.* You don't say where you live, so I don't know how long your growing season is.* Keep in mind that if you have a PeeGee type or Annabelle type and prune now, you may end up with canes that will droop too much and you may have to stake them as they wouldn't have had time to fully mature.

Why don't you take a look here to see if that helps.
http://hydrangeashydrangeas.com/pruning.html

Newt