Last updated on October 23rd, 2023 at 08:53 pm
Once established, climbing hydrangea grows with power in height. If you want to properly shape his specimen, or simply can not use hydrangea shoots on the second floor, you need to cut the climbing hydrangea, and regularly.
Climbing hydrangeas (Hydrangea petiolaris) are attractive woody plants with aerial and adhesive roots, perfect for greening walls and facades. In the first years they do not grow very much and usually do not bloom. During this time, climbing hydrangeas should not be cut either. After about four years, the wait is rewarded with fragrant cream-colored flowers and vital growth.
Cut back climbing hydrangeas drastically in spring if necessary
From time to time, it will become necessary to prune back your well-established climbing hydrangeas drastically. This pruning takes place in early spring – but only if necessary, of course. If you are happy with your specimen, it can stay as it is.
But if climbing hydrangeas are neglected, too large, grown unsightly or damaged at the top, severe pruning of the main branches to 1 to 2.5 feet in length will have a rejuvenating effect. However, if this happens for all branches at the same time, most likely it will not flower in the next few summers. Therefore, to maintain flowering ability, drastic pruning should be spread over three to four years.
After flowering: carefully bring climbing hydrangeas into shape
Climbing hydrangeas belong to pruning group one among hydrangeas. They bloom on “old wood” and put flower buds on the shoot ends as early as late summer for the next year. Although it is best not to prune other hydrangeas in this group until spring – for older climbing hydrangeas, it is recommended that normal maintenance pruning be done as soon as possible after flowering in summer.
Pruning hydrangeas in late summer involves removing faded flower spikes, as well as overlong shoots or those that threaten to later pull the plant away from the wall it is climbing up due to their weight. It is best to cut these shoots just above their origin. When pruning climbing hydrangeas in the summer, you can also remove dead branches and make a few targeted cuts at leaf nodes to encourage branching. Most flower buds are formed at the top of the plant, so as little pruning as possible should be done here.