Hydrangeas are known for their showy flower heads that bloom from spring to fall in different colors.
One way to ensure that hydrangeas bloom at their best throughout the blooming season is to remove the dead flower heads – also known as deadheading.
When gardeners get rid of wilted blooms, they encourage their flowering shrubs to redirect energy from seed production to promote root growth and leaf health.
One concerned gardener, afraid of damaging his hydrangea, asked for advice on the best time to die when he noticed the flowers turning brown while the leaves remained a vibrant green. She took her concerns to the Loving Your Garden Facebook group to inquire about the correct timing of the task.
Jessica Bouziane said: “Let’s talk about hydrangeas. I planted a lovely hydrangea in my front yard, it’s just small and had a planting area. I used potting soil and fed it. The flowers are turning brown but the leaves are lovely and green.”
He continued: “Tell me the best time to die because I don’t want to kill it and ideally I’d like it to eventually take over the front garden and turn into some kind of monster.”
Simple to do and even enjoyable for many, dying hydrangeas requires nothing more than sturdy gardening gloves, loppers and a container for the spent flowers.
Be sure to start with clean pruner blades and wipe them with a cloth dampened in denatured alcohol to prevent the disease from possibly spreading through the bush. Keep a cloth handy to clean the loppers between cuts.
Gardeners are often confused about the right time to die back hydrangeas, but the answer seems to lie in the plant’s versatility. According to group members who responded to Jessica’s survey, the timing of dead hydrangeas varies.
Cathrine Hughes advised: “If it’s a mop head with round flower heads, leave them until spring and cut them off after the last frost. But if it’s a lacy hydrangea with flatter flower heads, you can cut them off as soon as they die.
Jessica, who has mophead hydrangeas, was told it’s best to wait until spring to die back because they offer less frost resistance than lacy ones.
The old flowers serve as protection from frost for the new growth buds, which will bloom into next year’s flowers.
Gardeners claim that spring is the best time for this task. Sandra Hill suggested, “Wait until spring and you’ll get bigger vibrant blooms for longer next year. The flowers will look good in their dried form over the winter.
“It’s easy. It takes less than 20 seconds to cut after the worst frost, just above the new growth. The old flowers provide shelter in the winter.”
Irene Foy echoes Angela’s advice: “Yes, as Angela said, the old flowers protect the new buds, so the best time is to wait until spring.”
Meanwhile, Janet Howden recommended: “Dead in bloom, then stop in autumn.”
Melanie Livingstone advised: “You can stop it now if it’s gone crispy early. Depending on the variety, it may bloom more before winter. Don’t go to a dead end after August.”
One green-fingered individual lamented his mistake in pruning hydrangeas at the wrong time, resulting in a bush without flowers.
Julie Arnott shared her frustration: “I’m so angry with myself, I have two hydrangeas in the back yard, one in the front, all planted last year and I’ve only recently learned that you can’t die until spring. Now they are big and bushy, but they don’t grow flowers, learned, next year they will be fine.”
