Easy 5-minute task to do now to ensure bigger and healthier hydrangeas next spring
Hydrangeas are a popular choice for any garden, but gardeners should be aware of one simple technique to ensure abundant blooms when spring arrives.
Hydrangeas are a popular choice for any garden, thriving even in the harsh conditions of winter. However, gardeners should be aware of one simple technique to ensure a profusion of blooms come springtime.
While spring may seem far off with the dropping temperatures, now is actually the perfect time to start preparing your garden for a stunning display of full hydrangea flowers next year.
Gardening experts from Millcreek Gardens have revealed that deadheading, which involves removing faded blooms from your hydrangeas as they start to turn brown, is key to promoting future flowering.
The gardening gurus explained: "When you deadhead hydrangeas, you aren't harming the plants at all. Removing the spent blooms triggers flowering shrubs to stop producing seeds and instead put their energy toward root and foliage development."
They added: "This makes plants stronger, bigger and healthier, so by deadheading, you'll be doing your hydrangeas a favour."
For the best results, continue to deadhead your hydrangeas throughout their growing season and into early autumn, but make sure you stop before the first frost hits, reports the Express. Deadheading in autumn not only neatens up the plant but also helps it conserve energy.
Nevertheless, it's crucial to halt this practice well before frosty conditions arrive to avoid placing the plant under unnecessary strain.
The gardening expert advised: "Stop deadheading hydrangea shrubs in late [autumn], leaving any spent blooms in place. This not only provides winter interest but also ensures you don't remove the buds that will become flowers next spring."
As temperatures begin to drop, dedicated gardeners should watch out for the year's initial frost to perfectly time their hydrangea maintenance, ending deadheading tasks approximately one month beforehand.
Continuing beyond the frost date with secateurs at the ready could expose new growth to icy nights, potentially ruining next season's flowering prospects. The experts claimed: "Deadheading is an easy gardening task, one many people enjoy. All you need to deadhead hydrangeas is a pair of garden gloves, pruners and a container to hold the faded flowers."
Equipment preparation takes priority, recommending pruner sterilisation with an alcohol-soaked cloth to ward off fungal threats and maintain clean, precise cuts.
Focus on flowers that have lost their vigour, displaying signs of drooping and brown tones, then trim them just above a pair of healthy leaves to encourage future development. Keep a disinfectant-soaked rag nearby to routinely cleanse the shears.
To deadhead your hydrangeas, simply take each spent bloom and follow its stem down to the next set of large leaves; that's where you cut. Make sure to clean up any fallen leaves from the ground as they can attract pests and also release excessive nitrogen into the soil, which can overfeed plants.
Deadheading should take less than five minutes, but removing fading growth will help in achieving larger, healthier and more abundant blooms next spring.