Hydrangea (Hydrangea arborescens) produce beautiful, globular blossoms that are entrancing in fresh floral arrangements, and also make good additions to a dried flower arrangement. Their unique shape and color add vibrancy, but when the flowers are spent, you need to know when to cut them off. Doing so properly ensures the health of your plant and potentially promotes further bloom. Hydrangea are suitable to U.S. Department of Agriculture plant hardiness zones 4 through 9, though the specific zone depends on the cultivar.
Old Growth Hydrangea
If your hydrangea bloom on old growth, cut the flowers off just as they begin to fade. If you're uncertain about whether your hydrangea bloom on old growth, observe when they start to bloom. Old growth hydrangea bloom at the start of summer and only sporadically once the peak of summer has passed. Next year's flowers start budding once the temperature begins to fall and the days shorten. With this type of hydrangea, the sooner you remove the spent bloom, the sooner the shrub can start on next season's profusion of blossom.
New Growth Hydrangea
New growth hydrangea are more tolerant about when you remove spent blooms. These type of hydrangea grow and blossom in the same season, so you don't have to rush to remove spent blooms from the plant. Recognize new growth hydrangea as those that bloom later in the summer, often blooming up until frost or cold weather and short days start.
Where to Prune
Snip the spent flower off of old growth hydrangea just below where the globular-shaped blossom attaches to the cane. Remove spent blooms from new growth hydrangea when you prune after first frost, if you haven't already cut it off. Cut the cane back all the way to the ground for larger blooms, though this can produce floppy plants that fall over under the weight of the bloom. To avoid this, cut off the spent bloom and retain some of the existing growth to provide a support structure, though next year's blooms remain smaller with this system of pruning and bloom removal.
If you're planning to use the old flowers in a dried flower arrangement, let the old flowers sit on the plant until they have a soft, papery feel. This allows them to turn color and age while still on the plant itself. Snip off the spent bloom when it is dry, not when it's humid. Remove the leaves from the stem and hang the flower indoors by either hanging them upside down or placing them in a flower vase. Keep the flowers separated to avoid misshaping the flower head.
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