When and what species can be logged

Popular summer plant

Cut wilted hydrangea flowers – or not?

Hydrangeas are very popular because of their distinctive flowers. However, just one mistake can result in the plant not growing well. What should you do to make the flowers beautiful.

As the weather gets warmer, you can often see them: hydrangea (Hydrangea). Not surprising, because they don’t require much care. But what is important for them is a suitable location. And there are tricks you can use to help blue flowers. But you can easily make a mistake when cutting – the result will be fewer flowers.

It is better not to cut used hydrangea flowers with scissors or a knife. The plant will form new shoots more quickly if you simply remove the wilted flowers by hand. This is demonstrated by the relevant tests. If you want to do it right, it is best to pick up the flower above the base of the leaf with your fingers and carefully break it off to the side.

But be careful: you should never throw away used umbels in the fall. They protect the base of the flower from frost damage in winter. In the spring, you can carefully break off the wilted parts of the plant. You can also remove dry branches and leaves.

Depending on the weather, early spring is the ideal time to prune hydrangeas. This is the period from late February to mid or late March. It’s best to base your trip on weather conditions. There should be no further risk of severe frost.

Older plants that have lost their flowering potential can also be pruned more radically. Some experts even advise cutting the shoots close to the ground – that is, a few centimeters above the ground.

When pruning in spring, you should always place the scissors directly above the first green shoots. However, on ball hydrangeas and panicle hydrangeas, you should remove all old flower shoots except two pairs of buds to encourage germination and flower shoots. However, in farmer’s hydrangea, only frozen shoots are removed in spring. This is enough for them to activate flower formation. Additional tip: To find out if the shoots are dry or frozen, you can scrape the bark with your thumb. If you can see a hint of green underneath, there is still life in the shot. Then you don’t have to cut it back.

In general, most types of outdoor hydrangeas thrive in shady or semi-shady locations. The exception is farmer’s hydrangea. This plant is quite sensitive to frost and therefore should be planted in a place protected from the wind if possible.