Believe it or not when you cut hydrangeas is equally as important as putting them in water after cutting them to help keep them fresher for longer. The best time of day to cut hydrangeas is in the morning when the weather is much cooler.
Trimming should be done immediately after flowering stops in summer, but no later than August 1. Do not prune in fall, winter, or spring or you could be cutting off new buds. Tip-pruning the branches as leaves emerge in spring can encourage multiple, smaller flower heads rather than fewer larger flower heads.
The reason that climbing hydrangeas are pruned in summer is because the flowers are produced on the previous year's wood. If they are pruned earlier in spring, before flowering, the blooms for that year will be sacrificed.
You really want to make sure you are buying the freshest Hydrangeas available (1-3 days old) as they only tend to last 5-9 days depending on how you care for them.
As soon as hydrangeas are cut, the stems should immediately be put into tepid water. And adding a little bit of flower food to it would be a great idea too. Use a sharp knife or clippers to cut each stem on a diagonal and submerge! Cut hydrangeas in the morning and choose only the most mature blooms.
"Oakleaf and Limelight hydrangeas with their cone shapes lend themself to linear vases like a tall cylinder. More traditional hydrangeas do very well in a compote or a bowl." Lee suggests using vases that do not require foam as hydrangeas are thirsty and "like a good drink." Instead, place them directly in water.
4. No need to prune. If you trim your plants in fall or winter, you may mistakenly remove flower buds for the following year on bigleaf and oakleaf hydrangeas. Leaving the old flower heads on the plants will also add some interest to the winter landscape.
Wrap with winter protection.
During the winter, make a DIY A-frame wire cage out of burlap and chicken wire to protect your hydrangea plant. This cage will protect it from winter winds, heavy snowfall, and cold temperatures.
In late winter or early spring, these shrubs can be cut all the way back to the ground. Smooth hydrangeas will produce much larger blooms if pruned hard like this each year, but many gardeners opt for smaller blooms on sturdier stems.
While some plants bloom on new growth, others primarily set flower buds on old wood. Regardless, it is best to wait to prune all hydrangeas until spring. In the fall, hydrangeas (and all trees and shrubs) are in the process of going dormant. They do not produce very much new growth until the following spring.
First, add a 1/4 cup of sugar to the room temperature water in the vase. The sugar helps feed the stems and increases the life of the cut flowers.
Another old florist's hack, many people believe that smashing the ends of the stems (with a hammer or mallet) helps the woody stems soak up more water. Fresh water. Change the vase water every day, or at least as often as you can! Again, hydrangeas thrive on extra water.
It is suggested that Hydrangea wilt so soon after being cut because their stems contain a sticky substance that clogs the stems preventing moisture reaching the top of the stem to the head. Top Tip - Cut 10 cm off the stem and place in boiling water and leave for 24 hours.
Without going through the deadheading process, hydrangeas will not produce as many flowers and the few produced may not grow as big to their full potential.
If you like the look of dried flower heads in your garden in the wintertime, leave them on and prune them in spring. If you live someplace where there is a heavy snow load or if you prefer a tidier look in winter, prune them in late fall to early winter.
To prepare hydrangeas for winter in colder areas, add a thick layer of mulch around the base of the plants to protect the crown and roots from freezing temperatures.
So these shrubs should be pruned immediately after their flowers fade. Conversely, if the shrub flowers on new wood (stems developed during the current season), its buds are set within the season, so the shrub should be pruned in early spring before that new growth emerges.
Bypass pruners work best when pruning Hydrangeas. These garden shears work like scissors, with its blades passing by each other to make a cut.
Cut the stems at an angle.
Hydrangea (just like lilacs) love to drink a LOT a water and they need as much surface area to do that. So give it a good cut to help it out!
Cut the stems at an angle so that they can absorb water better. Cut a cross-cut into the bottom of the stem so that it can take up water. Hydrangeas have a hard, woody stem that does not easily absorb water. Making a cross-cut into the bottom of the stem will fix this issue and allow the stem to absorb water.