Hydrangeas will grow 'masses of flowers' if you follow gardener's three rules
If you are trying to find a plant that can survive throughout the colder months then hydrangeas are ideal for your garden.
The hardy plant will survive the winters because they aren't sensitive to low temperatures or freezing, and Hydrangeas come in a range of shapes ranging from circular balls to gorgeous cones.While they are good at surviving the winter, the plants will lose most of their blooms and what is left over often turns dry and brown. The plant will need some care during the winter season and one expert has shared tips on how to help the plants.
Ben Hayman, a gardening expert at Hoselink shared a TikTok video where he says hydrangeas will gain "spectacular blooms" and grow "healthier" during the growing season if pruned properly.
Ben shared a video on how to go about pruning hydrangea paniculata - one of the most popular types of hydrangeas. He said: "Today I'm going to show you how to prune and get masses of flowers on your panicle hydrangeas, or as you may know them, hydrangea paniculata."
"These are the ones with the big cone-like flowers that look just as stunning in the garden as they do in any flower arrangement. We prune these guys in winter to early spring - and they're really easy to prune they flower on the coming year's growth."
In the TikTok, Ben encourages gardeners to remove dead, damaged and diseased parts of the plant as a first step. After that step is done, you can begin to prune the plant back to a solid framework.
The next step is to thin out the dense area which will allow light and airflow into the centre of the plant. After this, you will need to tackle the height of the plant.
The aim should be to reduce it to 30 to 40cm from the ground, this will promote new growth. In the TikTok, he said to make sure to prune just above a double bud to ensure "as many flower stems as possible."
If you are worried about getting things wrong, you really should not be according to the expert. He says one of the best things about this type of hydrangea is that you can prune it above rot or below that 30 to 40cm guide and it won't matter.
Ben said: "Basically, you can't get it wrong as it flowers on new wood. So that's it, one of the easiest jobs in the garden done, and I bet you it was nowhere near as scary as you thought."