The decorative and very lush flowering plate hydrangeas are an ornament for every garden. However, in order for the flowering shrub to actually bloom, it may only be pruned a little.

Cut your plate hydrangea as sparingly as possible

Prune the plate hydrangea in spring if possible

With the exception of panicle and snowball hydrangeas, almost all hydrangea species should be pruned as little as possible. The plate hydrangea is also one of these species, which only develop flower buds on the older shoots. A regular pruning would remove the buds that were already planted in the previous autumn and thus prevent flowering. Incidentally, for the same reason, gardeners should leave the faded flower stalks on the plant, because the newly forming buds are located directly under the old flower heads. In addition, the faded parts are used as winter protection for the new buds. It is therefore better not to grab the pruning shears until early spring.

Annual pruning measures

In addition to removing faded inflorescences, you can carry out other maintenance cuts at the same time.

  • First remove the faded inflorescences.
  • Cut as close as possible above the new buds.
  • Be careful not to accidentally cut them off.
  • No new ones will form this year.
  • Now cut off frozen shoot tips.
  • Deadwood is cut out just above the ground.
  • Thin out the shrub by removing crossing shoots.
  • Also crossing branches.
  • If possible, do not leave any stubs, but cut directly at the base.
  • The twigs and shoots must not be crushed, otherwise their supply of water and nutrients will suffer.
  • Only use sharp and clean tools for cutting.

If you are unsure whether a shoot is actually dead or not, do the acid test to be on the safe side: Slightly scratch the bark of the branch in question with your fingernail. If the wood underneath is green, the branch is alive and does not need to be cut. Brown, withered wood, on the other hand, can go.

Perform a rejuvenation pruning every three years

You can carry out the maintenance cut described above every year and save yourself the rejuvenation cut that is otherwise due every year. Without this, the plate hydrangea would age, form fewer and fewer flowers and finally only offer a miserable sight. Basically, however, it is sufficient to make the necessary cut for rejuvenation about every two to three years, whereby you should cut out about half of the oldest shoots directly on the ground.

tips and tricks

Very old and not pruned for a very long time (so to speak "hopeless" cases) are radically cut down to about 15 to 20 centimeters above the ground. As a rule, these specimens recover after about two to three years and sprout again. Help with plenty of water and good fertilization, and winter protection should not be missing.

Category:

Vegetable garden