5 Hydrangeas That Will Suffer If Pruned In The Fall (Don't Risk Your Blooms)

Let’s be real, who doesn’t love hydrangeas? They’re the ultimate low-maintenance flowering plants, with those fluffy blooms that can steal the show in any garden!

However, even their lovely flowers will need some trimming. Most plants get their trimming either in fall or spring, but where do our beloved hydrangeas fall in that mix?

Well, it all comes down to the type you’ve got – are you team old wood or new wood?

For those with old wood hydrangeas, note that these guys produce buds through fall and winter, so cutting them back in the fall is a big mistake because you’d be cutting off next year’s flowers.

To save your future blooms, keep reading and find out which hydrangeas you should never prune in fall.

1. Mountain Hydrangeas Need Those Flowers During Winter

If you grow Mountain hydrangeas, you’ll want to leave those lovely blooms on through the winter. Why?

Well, keeping the flowers on helps protect the young shoots and buds from freezing temps!

When spring comes around, that’s your cue to step in – you should wait until the end of winter or very early spring to remove any dead or old wood. Those lovely blooms will act as a coat during winter!

2. Timing Is Everything When Pruning Climbing Hydrangeas

Timing is everything when growing climbing hydrangeas. I made the mistake of pruning mine too early once, and let’s just say I wasn’t happy about it.

The best time to prune these beauties is right after they’ve bloomed in the summer. And you don’t need to go overboard with pruning – just cut away the dead or spent flowers and branches.

A little light trim is all they need to stay happy and healthy!

3. Wait For The Perfect Moment To Cut Your Bigleaf Hydrangea

Just like with climbing hydrangeas, you’ll have to wait for the perfect moment to prune your Bigleaf hydrangeas.

If you bloom them too early, you’ll end up with no blooms that year!

Therefore, you should leave those brown flowers on the plant through winter. They might not be the prettiest, but they actually protect the young buds from the frost.

Come late winter or early spring, trim off the dead flowers, but go easy and don’t just cut down to the last healthy set of leaves. Over-pruning can stunt your hydrangea’s growth (and no one wants that!).

4. Even Tough Panicle Hydrangeas Shouldn’t Be Pruned In Fall

Panicle hydrangeas are tough varieties. They are known for their cold-hardiness and impressive cone-shaped blooms.

I love how their branches bend under the weight of those massive flowers – seriously, they look like a flower chandelier!

Wait for either late winter or early spring to prune Panicle hydrangeas. Trim off the spent flowers and give them a little shape-up to keep their structure and size in check.

5. Summer Is The Perfect Time To Trim Your Oakleaf Hydrangeas

Oakleaf hydrangeas are best pruned in the summer, just after they’ve finished putting on their beautiful flower show (so think June or July).

If you’re tempted to prune them in fall, don’t – you’ll risk cutting off next year’s growth by removing those fresh buds.

Oakleaf hydrangeas don’t need much pruning anyway. Unless they’re really overgrown, you can skip the heavy cutting.

Just remove any dead branches and be gentle – no more than a third of the plant’s size!

So, if you’re planning to prune your hydrangeas this fall, make sure you know whether you’re growing old or new wood hydrangeas first. That way, you won’t accidentally remove next year’s blooms from your hydrangea.