Deadheading hydrangeas is an easy and satisfying garden job that instantly improves their appearance.
These structural shrubs are renowned for their giant, fluffy heads of blooms. Growing hydrangeas is relatively easy, so they make fabulous garden staples, whether that's in a large border, planted in a pot, or to brighten up a shaded corner. But once those blooms pass their peak, they turn brown and withered, and the plants can quickly go from looking lovely to lackluster.
We explain how to neaten up the look of your hydrangea throughout the flowering season. But that's not the only benefit of deadheading hydrangeas – doing so will also allow the plants to grow stronger and encourage better blooms to form later on.
4 simple steps for deadheading hydrangeas
Deadheading flowers always improves the look of garden displays while allowing the plant to channel its energy into making better blooms and growing strongly.
With hydrangeas, it's super straightforward – just follow these steps:
- Take a pair of secateurs or, for larger shrubs, garden pruners. Ensure they are sharp and clean so as not to damage the plant.
- Locate the hydrangea flowers that have passed their best – their colour will have faded and become tinged with brown, and the petals will have shrivelled.
- Remove the faded blooms with an inch of stem, says Christine Walkden, a gardening expert and BBC TV presenter. This is so that you do not prune out potential flower buds which are developing immediately beneath them, she adds.
- At the same time, you can remove any weak or dead stems that are crowding the middle of the bush, says renowned gardening journalist John Negus. "Provided the remaining shoots are strong and healthy and air can pass freely between them, there is nothing else to do."
Shop these tools for your deadheading tasks
With an ergonomic design and carbon steel upper blade for lasting sharpness, these bypass secateurs will make light work of your deadheading and pruning tasks throughout the year.
Lightweight but offering plenty of protection, these hard-wearing gloves are suitable for everything from deadheading to trickier pruning tasks. They are tear resistant, thornproof and water resistant.
Available in a choice of blue, pink or green, these handy little snips make it easy to get in amongst leaves and snip off individual flowerheads. They're also ideal for pruning, cutting and trimming smaller plants, including houseplants.
When is the best time for deadheading hydrangeas?
Whether you're growing hydrangeas in pots or in the ground, you can deadhead them throughout the flowering season. Start deadheading as soon as the first flowers fade, then continue as and when your shrub needs a tidy-up.
In colder regions, some gardeners choose to skip deadheading mophead varieties of hydrangeas entirely. Leaving flowers on over winter helps protect the plants from frost, as it shelters the buds.
Lacecap varieties are hardier, so there is less risk in deadheading them freely in colder areas. But, whatever your approach and variety of plants, it's generally wise to stop deadheading hydrangeas in early autumn.
What's more, if you prefer to leave the blooms to dry on the plant over winter it will add sculptural interest to your garden design. These can be snipped away the following spring, when you prune your hydrangeas.
If your hydrangeas haven't been looking their best this summer, make sure you get up to speed with the key reasons why your hydrangea might not be blooming.
And if you prefer the look of blue hydrangeas compared to pink varieties, our guide on how to change the colour of your hydrangea will come in useful.
