- Educate tall stems when planting
- The plant cut
- The shape cut the following year
- The following topiary
- tips and tricks
Panicle hydrangeas normally grow as a shrub that can reach a height of two meters and impresses with its large flower panicles in bright colors. This shrub is usually supported by several shoots coming out of the ground, but with a little patience you can also grow this hydrangea with a single trunk. Here we provide you with instructions.
Regular pruning ensures that the panicle hydrangea grows with the stem in the desired direction
Educate tall stems when planting
Of course, it is best if you already train the young plant in the desired direction in connection with planting. However, it is also possible to cut back older panicle hydrangeas that have not been pruned for several years and are therefore senile. However, the upbringing to a high trunk is not done with just one cut, it takes at least two to three years.
The plant cut
The first cut is already made on the young plant to be planted or freshly planted, with the best time for this procedure being late autumn. Select a bottom shoot that is to be raised as the main shoot and thus become the trunk and cut off all branches. The branches of the main stem should also be cut above the second or third eye. If possible, do not shorten the main stem.
The shape cut the following year
The following year, in early spring, before they sprout, remove all side branches that are above the first eye. Also cut the trunk at the desired height, preferably above the third eye above the highest branch.
Possible maintenance cut in summer
You can supplement the pruning to form the trunk with an intervention in the summer. In the first two years after flowering, cut off branches and twigs extending from the trunk. However, this cut is not absolutely necessary.
The following topiary
In the following years, around March, all branches that had flowers the previous year are cut off at the base. Then shorten all twigs and branches along the trunk to about 10 centimeters in length - the three to five main branches (i.e. the thickest and tallest branches) can be longer. In addition, the shoots growing on the sides of the trunk should be removed again and again. This cut is to be repeated annually in the spring.
tips and tricks
Support the trunk of your panicle hydrangea with a stake or similar… Coconut fibers are best suited for tying, as they do not constrict.