Gardeners issued urgent 'act now' pruning warning for hydrangeas

If you’re growing in your garden, you’re probably looking forward to seeing them blossom in time for summer. However, experts have advised to them before they come into bloom, otherwise you risk damaging your plants.

Gardening is one of Britain’s favourite pastimes – in fact, an estimated will be getting out into their gardens this year. There are a lot of benefits to getting outdoors, including increased fitness, spending more time with nature and improved mental health. It also allows you to spruce up your home with a wide variety of exciting plants, including fruits, vegetables and flowers.

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Unsurprisingly, hydrangeas are one of the most popular plants in the UK. Not only do they add a bright burst of beauty with their pink, blue and purple buds, they’re also well-suited to the British climate.

They grow best in moist, well-drained soil and are best planted in either spring or autumn. They typically bloom in either late spring or early summer and add much-needed life to any garden.

Unfortunately, if you don’t maintain your hydrangeas properly, you could miss out on enjoying them in their full glory this year. But how best to take care of them?

Pruning is incredibly important for hydrangeas, as overgrown hydrangeas risk becoming woody and dull-looking. As such, an expert advises one of the best ways to take care of them is to deadhead them.

The phrase ‘deadhead’ may sound quite extreme. However, it simply refers to the process of removing already-dead flower heads from the main plant.

This is because these wilted flowers will still divert food and water from your bulb. This can cause the new flowerheads to become deprived of necessary nutrients.

This ultimately leads them to becoming stiff, stunted and wilted-looking. It can even result in spindly unappealing-looking shrubs.

Therefore, the best way to prevent this is to deadhead them in a timely manner. The best time of year to do this is before they come into full bloom in late spring or early summer.

If your hydrangea has become overgrown, Gardener’s World advises: “Prune and thin out these new stems somewhat the following spring, to help create a reasonably open, compact shrub.”

They also provide an alternative. Instead, you can prune out some of the oldest and toughest stems each year, making sure you cut down to the base.

However, they also warn not to become too overzealous with pruning. It is best to leave old flowerheads on hydrangeas during winter, as these protect young buds.