We all know that hydrangeas are a beautiful shrub, one which is easy to cultivate and can withstand many different zones. To that end, there are multiple varieties and they each have slightly different requirements for things like pruning. If you have a lacecap hydrangea it’s important to prune it the right way and that means pruning at the appropriate times.

Pruning lacehead hydrangeas

Pruning lacecap hydrangeas do not have to be done at any particular time. But if your lacecap hydrangea is starting to get too big or too old you might want to consider pruning and removing dead blooms at the same time.

Lacecap hydrangeas, easily identified with their blue or pink flowers, are best pruned only in the summertime. In order to be safe it is important that you prune the lace head hydrangeas in June or July. If you wait too long you can damage the bloom buds for the upcoming summer.

Lacecap hydrangeas typically produce flower buds on the stems starting in August all the way through October for the following summer. So if you prune the stems too late in the season you will remove the buds and you won’t have any blooms the following summer. That said you will certainly know if you waited too long because you won’t get any blooms the following year.

When you are ready to prune back your lacecap hydrangea make sure that you use the sharpest set of gardening shears that you have. Before you touch your plant make sure to sanitize any of the tools you are using. There are plenty of natural solutions you can make comprised of water and bleach, 9 parts water to 1 part bleach, just to make sure that you aren’t transferring any diseases when you start pruning. The last thing you want is to accidentally transfer something directly into an open-cut made on your plant only to have the plants suffer the following year.

Once you are ready, remove any dead stems. This is something you should do on a regular basis. If your plant is healthy and happy you probably won’t have to do it that often. If your plant is 5 years old or older you can remove approximately one-third of the living stems all the way down to the ground in the middle of every summer to revitalize your plant. If you want to reduce the size of your hydrangea you can cut it back in June or July and it won’t harm the blooms.

Removing old blooms

If you are ready to remove the dead blooms, it is recommended that you do it at the same time. This process is called deadheading and you can use the same gardening tools in the same bleach mixture to sterilize it. If you are going to remove the old blooms you can choose long stems or short stems but if you opt for long stems only do it in June or July when you are pruning in the plant. If you cut away the dead blooms any other time of the year it is safer to do it with short stems so that you don’t accidentally disturb any of the bloom buds that are developing for the next year.