- Velvet hydrangea blooms on last year's wood
- Perform a rejuvenation pruning every three years
- tips and tricks
Help the development of the site, sharing the article with friends!
Velvet hydrangeas are a wild form of garden hydrangeas, although there are now numerous cultivated forms of this species. The shrub can grow up to two and a half meters high and three meters wide, in exceptional cases even larger. Nevertheless, velvet hydrangeas should not be pruned regularly.
The velvet hydrangea does not need an annual pruning
Velvet hydrangea blooms on last year's wood
Like so many types of hydrangea - such as the popular farmer's hydrangea - the velvet hydrangea also blooms on perennial wood. The flower buds for the following year are already developing at the end of the flowering period in the previous year and are also located close to the faded flower heads. For this reason, the faded flowers should not be removed in autumn, but only in spring after the last late frosts - they serve as effective winter protection for the new buds. An annual pruning is not necessary, on the contrary: such a measure would reduce the flowering joy of the plants.
Perform a rejuvenation pruning every three years
Nevertheless, you should pruning your velvet hydrangea every three years to prevent it from getting old. This threatens, for example, when the flowering subsides. You can also cut without worry if the velvet hydrangea does not grow as desired. In this case, the flowering will fail or be reduced, but since the velvet hydrangea is very tolerant of pruning and also sprouts from dormant buds without any problems, even a more radical pruning has no further consequences.
You can proceed as follows for the rarely due pruning:
- The best cutting time is after the flowering period in early autumn.
- Optionally, however, a cut in early spring is also possible.
- However, avoid pruning during periods of frost.
- Cut half of the shoots - if possible the oldest - down to the ground.
- Thin out shoots that are too close together or grow incorrectly.
- In this way you ensure that sufficient light and air also gets inside the plant.
Dead or diseased shoots, on the other hand, should be removed as soon as possible throughout the year. They weaken the plant and represent a gateway for viruses, fungi and other pathogens.
tips and tricks
In spring, cut young velvet hydrangeas just above the pairs of eyes (being careful not to cut off any flower buds!). This measure promotes strong branching and thus more flowers in the future.