Hydrangeas what kind do you have in your garden? You need to know for pruning them. Good luck.

image from plantsaddicts.com 

image from Robin Sweetser Endless Summer 

image from Robin Sweetser Strawberry Vanilla

image from Robin Sweetser Annabella

image from fity.com Oakleaf 

  Hydrangea What Kind do you have in your garden?  You will need to know to help when you prune them. 

Good morning.  Cloudy and overcast even deary for our first day of Fall.  Can you believe it?  I am not ready for this season at all.  Rained last night again, and weathermen are saying showers today.  Must see what happens.  Today’s temperature will be 59F(15C)  wasn’t it just a couple of weeks ago it was heat index of 90F.  How time when we go around the sun can change the weather with our seasons.  Stay warm, drier till the weekend, stay safe.
 
Australia family and friends for their Sept 23rd Wed will have the temperature warming up after chilly mornings.  High for them today will be 70F(21C) Enjoy, stay warm, and then stay cool. 
 
I hope this article along with the pictures will help you with your hydrangea.  This species is so important for you to know what variety you have.  I see so many hydrangeas in the landscape.  Good luck with this. 
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When do you prune your hydrangea? It depends. If your hydrangea blooms on “old” wood, you should NOT cut back in the fall, or you will sacrifice next year’s flowers! See our handy chart on when to prune common types of hydrangeas.
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When to Prune Hydrangeas
Hydrangeas should be pruned based on whether they bloom on old or new wood. Bigleaf, oakleaf, mountain, and climbing hydrangeas bloom on old wood and should be pruned after flowering in summer. Panicle and smooth hydrangeas bloom on new wood and should be pruned in late winter or early spring.
Hydrangea Pruning Chart
Use this hydrangea pruning chart to determine the correct pruning time for each variety.
Hydrangea Type                                             When to Prune    Where Flowers Appear
Mophead and Bigleaf (H. macrophylla)         After flowering (summer)       On old growth
Oakleaf (H. quercifolia)                        After flowering (summer)      On old growth
Panicle (H. paniculata)               Late winter/early spring, before spring growth       On new growth
Smooth (H. arborescens)        Late winter/early spring, before spring growth         On new growth
Mountain (H. serrata)                          After flowering (summer)       On old growth
Climbing (H. anomala subsp. petiolaris)         After flowering (summer)       On old growth
Both mophead and lacecap hydrangeas are considered bigleaf or macrophylla hydrangeas, so they can be pruned right after flowering by cutting back the flowering shoots to the next bud. If you have older plants that aren’t blooming well, you can cut up to a third of the stems off at the base in late summer to encourage new growth.
Mophead and Bigleaf Hydrangeas (Hydrangea macrophylla)
There are hydrangea hybrids that grow on both old and new wood. My ‘Endless Summer’ mophead hydrangea (hardy from Zones 4 to 9) has the wonderful ability to bloom on both old and new wood. ‘Endless Summer’ hydrangeas thrive with sun in the morning and shade in the afternoon. You do not have to prune your ‘Endless Summer’ since they bloom on both old and new growth, but if you need to cut back, do so immediately after blooming. Remove only dead stems in the spring.
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My other blue hydrangea is a lacecap type, called ‘Let’s Dance Starlight’, but instead of the huge, mophead type of flower cluster that ‘Endless Summer’ has, the lacecap hydrangea bears a flat blossom made up of many small, fertile flowers surrounded by a few showy, sterile flowers. It is hardy from Zones 5 to 9 and blooms on both old and new wood.  As with ‘Endless Summer’, pruning is generally not needed, but it may be trimmed lightly after the first flowering.
Bottom line: Mophead and Bigleaf hydrangeas should only be pruned just after the flowers have faded and no later.
The hydrangeas grown most often in cooler climates are the panicle types, since they are not only beautiful but also very hardy, surviving Zone 3 winters with no problems. One of the oldest and most reliable favorites is ‘Grandiflora’, also known as Pee Gee hydrangea. Native to China and Japan, it was the first Asian hydrangea cultivar introduced to the United States in 1862. They were a big hit during the Victorian era. The flowers start out a creamy white and turn a rosy pink as they age. They can be dried and look lovely in a winter arrangement. Find out how to dry these lovely hydrangeas here.
There are many panicle types to choose from. I have one called ‘Pinky Winky’ that has long, cone-shaped white and pink flowers, and also ‘Vanilla Strawberry’, which has panicles that color from white at the tip to pink in the middle and red at the base. For something different, try ‘Limelight’, which has chartreuse flowers that gradually turn pink in autumn.
Bottom-line: Panicle-type hydrangeas should be pruned in late winter or early spring. While they could be pruned in fall, we highly advise waiting until late winter/early spring to reduce the risk of injury.

Smooth Hydrangeas (H. arborescens)
Smooth hydrangeas are North American natives, originally found growing wild in Pennsylvania. They tolerate light shade, begin to bloom in June, and continue to blossom until fall. Their white flowers are round and can reach 12 inches in diameter.
The popular cultivar ‘Annabelle’ grows to be 3 to 5 feet tall and can be used to light up a shady path or as a mass planting at the edge of the woods. It is hardy to Zone 3.
Bottom line: Smooth hydrangeas can be pruned back to the ground in late winter or early spring. While they could be pruned in fall, we highly advise waiting until late winter/early spring.

Oakleaf Hydrangeas (H. quercifolia)
Oakleaf hydrangeas are another North American native, having been discovered in Georgia in 1773.
Also called swamp snowball, it is hardy to Zone 5, and though it prefers full sun, it can take some shade and still blossom well. It blooms a little later than the other hydrangeas, beginning in August. Its flowers are large panicles that start out white and turn dark pink as they age. The leaves, which are deeply lobed like an oak leaf, turn a rich maroon red in the fall.
Bottom line: Oakleaf hydrangeas, which bloom on old wood, should only be pruned just after the flowers have faded and no later.  images from Robin Sweetser, backyardboss.net, fity.com 

 Taken from https://www.almanac.com/when-prune-different-kinds-hydrangeas
Till next time this is Becky Litterer , Becky’s Greenhouse, Dougherty Iowa [email protected]  641-794-3337  cell 641-903-9365  Beckysgreenhouse.com  Facebook Becky Kerndt Litterer or Becky’s Greenhouse