Topic: Deadheading hydrangeas

[grawrc]

I just had a walk round my very wet garden to check on possible storm damage from last night.
No storm damage, however I was amazed to see that our potted hydrangeas have lost their leaves but are still covered with blossom - albeit gradually fading. This got me thinking.

Now I know that you shouldn't deadhead hydrangeas or you risk getting no blossom the following season, but what I wondered, in one of those few casual moments of thirst for knowledge (normally associated with the end/start of the year and/or heavy drinking), was why not? Why do they need the old blossoms to produce new ones? What's the botanical process involved? Can anyone enlighten me?

[Georgie]

I wasn't aware that hydrangeas shouldn't be deadheaded so I had a Google.  This is what I found:

The first form of pruning, especially for the H. macrophylla, or Lacecap hydrangea cultivars, is deadheading, or removal of spent blooms. There is some disagreement regarding the appropriate time to carry out this action for some believe that allowing the spent blooms to remain on the plant protects the buds of next year's flowers that are present along the existing stem during the winter. Some consider this a myth and take off the heads in late autumn. Personally I prefer to retain the dried flower heads allowing them to remain until spring when they are removed. Deadheading is necessary as the spent blooms distract from the appearance of the current seasons flowers. Simply cut the spent blooms along with the flowering stalk, back to the uppermost pair of new buds, taking care not to damage any of the new green shoots.

This information came from http://www.mrsgreenfingers.co.uk/hydrangeas.htm

Hope it helps.

G x

[laurieuk]

I have always left the dead heads on until early spring as it does help keep the frost off the buds of next years flowers. Usually as soon as you do take them off and get the new growth going you have a severe frost has to be -----------. :) :) The new flower buds are just under the old flowers so you need to be careful when removing the old flower heads.

[grawrc]

Thanks Georgie and Laurie! That answers my questions. I'm going to inspect the old flowers carefully to see where the new buds are developing. I have friends who got no flowers at all because they cut off the old ones when they died back. Must have chopped off  the new buds with them. I'm such a lazy gardener that I leave everything till the last minute anyway. ;)

[Hot_Potato]

how interesting!....I didn't know you shouldn't cut off the dead or dying heads either.......cut off several of mine at different times, some fairly early in the autumn and some not long before Christmas to dry them off for indoor flower arranging.

They've been very successful and I've 5 different flower heads of varying colours and shades - 2 a pretty combination of deep lime green with dark crimson edges which have looked lovely for Christmas. The flower heads are actually getting better coloured as the days go by.

Will see what happens to my quite young plant when flowering time comes around.

[Tee Gee]

I am one for leaving them on.

They look lovely when covered in hoare frost or silky spider webs.

This is how I treat mine; http://tinyurl.com/yb4g8c

[gardenqueen]

If you have masses of flowers, as my plants do, it's a very laborious job in taking the dead heads off in the spring. Well worth the effort though.

[grawrc]

But they do look great in the autumn and winter, especially when there's a heavy frost!