In order to prune correctly, you need to know the different types of hydrangeas.
Big Leaf: shown above. These set their flowers in late summer or early fall for the following year. Prune immediately after flowering.
Panicle: shown below. These produce coneshaped flowers on new wood. These can be pruned in late winter or early spring before the new growth begins.
Oak Leaf: shown below. These feature distinctive, oak-shaped leaves. Like the big leaf, they grow on old wood and should be pruned immediately after blooming.
General guidelines: Remove dead or damaged wood. Shape the plant to create a balanced silhouette while preserving the plant's natural form. Selectively thin out interior branches which provides better light penetration. Deadhead spent blooms by cutting the flower stalks back to a pair of healthy buds or lateral branches.
Do you have hydrangeas? If so, did you know the proper time to prune them?
Now it's time for the IWSG question of the month: What is the most unethical practice in the publishing industry? I'd say plagiarism. Stealing someone else's work. What about you? What do you think is the most unethical practice in the publishing industry?
Hydrangeas have been exceptional this year, despite the lack of rain.
ReplyDeleteHi dear Sherry, your photos are gorgeous and captivating. I live in a 6th floor apartment in Montreal so I don't have a garden, but thankfully there is a beautiful public indoor greenhouse that I visit from time to time. As well, there are many beautiful parks on the island of Montreal and I enjoy seeing the flowers 💐 there and take photos to share with my blog visitors. Thank you 😊 🙏 💓 so much for sharing.
ReplyDeleteI thought they should not be pruned after flowering but in spring. We have just one bush, but we live in a very hot climate and dry, and I think they prefer rich British gardens.
ReplyDeleteYour hydrangeas made me long for the glorious ones my mother planted in our back yard, which callus gardeners hacked. 🧑🏻🌾They were wonderful while they lasted. 🪻
ReplyDeleteAs to ethics, perhaps (in addition to plagiarism) there's the matter of publishers who just delays royalty payments ad infinitum. It's not as rare as it should be.
Hi Sherry - I love hydrangeas ... I associate them with Cornwall ... and they're good dried ... but I'm not a gardener - but as Janice (Jabblog) above notes they've been good in the UK this year. Cheers Hilary
ReplyDeleteI don't think we've ever done anything to our bush. It just grows.
ReplyDeleteThanks for the hydrangea tips. I have someone prune my big one, but I'll use your tips for my other one. Stealing a writer's work is very unethical but sadly happens.
ReplyDeleteSo beautiful! I may have mentioned this before, but I have crazy allergies so the most I get to enjoy most flowers is at a distance. But my mom was a gardener and especially loved her flowers.
ReplyDeleteI pruned mine earlier this year but stopped halfway through when I found a black rat snake curled around one of the branches. LOL
ReplyDeleteHydrangeas are gorgeous. I went looking for blue-colored flowers and I saw many pretty pictures. I don't get to see many in person, unless I hit up Home Depot.
ReplyDeleteHi, Sherry!
ReplyDeleteThank you for the extraordinarily kind words on my 17th anniversary post, dear friend! I'm sure you know the feeling's mutual.
Yessum, Mrs. Shady and I have Hydrangeas on our property. We have one big leaf Endless Summer that was originally planted in our garden bed. We needed to dig it up and put it in a container because the bed offered poor drainage and we realized its roots were submerged in water much of the time. It is now looking better. We also have two Little Lime Punch Hydrangeas that are planted in a different bed that has better drainage. They are looking fantastic with a multitude of white snowballs on them. Thank you for the pruning tips. We will certainly put them to use at the end of the season.
I can't think of anything worse than stealing someone else's work and profiting from it, so I agree with your answer to the Question of the Month. I wish you a safe and prosperous August, dear friend Sherry!
Plagiarism and scams are two of the biggest problems in publishing, but thankfully, there are some great people in the industry, too, who don't follow those practices.
ReplyDeleteBeautiful hydrangeas! ;)