Hydrangea paniculata - what if---

17 years ago

what would be the blooming result if you would pinch off the terminal bud/tip of the stems - say mid-May? Now these bloom on this year growth - 'bout everyone knows that -so if you pinched as suggested, would that force out dormant flower buds along the stem, producing a lot more - but smaller - flowers? Or are there not dormant flower buds along the stems of a paniculata? I have read this is done on macrophylla and serrata to produce more blooms, but there it's dealing with last years growth.

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Comments (7)

ego45
17 years ago
No, you'll simply lose current year blooms if you pinch them in May. Yes, paniculatas blooms on new wood, but it takes 5 to 6 months (depending on variety) for the flowering bud to become a flower.
Pinching macs or serratas could be done in order to promote branching from the main cane, but if done in spring it will sacrifice bloom. The best way to promote branching is to cut flowering stem to 3rd or 4th (even better) PAIR of buds (counting from the top down) in July-early August.
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silvergold
17 years ago
Well, I had to go back through my notes and pictures. I don't think I prune mine anyways until the first of May. I have pictures of mine on May 7 with still no leaves. And, although my notes are vague, I think I finished pruning my hydrangeas on April 29. I will prune my paniculata until they are leafed out without any worry of deleyed bloom. ego45 - I don't really agree with your assessment. I have pictures of blooms on my White Moth on July 6 of this year - that is just over 2 months after pruning. This is my early bloomer and other varieties followed throughout July and August. As long as they don't have leaves yet, I don't worry about loosing flowers. Preacox, of course, being the exception here as it blooms on new wood and would have to prune this year to have flowers next year.

As far as whether you would have more flowers if you pinch, I think that is essentially what I do when in April or early May I remove the old flowers from last year or prune them to shape. So, I guess I think the most often quoted rules apply - if you prune them to fewer stems you will have larger flowers, if you have more stems you will have more and smaller flowers.
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silvergold
17 years ago
Oops - meant to say Preacox blooms on old wood - the only paniculata that does.
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mrgpag SW OH Z5/6
Original Author
17 years ago
when I suggested pinching back in mid-May - I was referring to the current years new growth. Looks like the answer to my question is pinching back the tips of new growth stems will not produce more flowers. Sorta what I imagined but thought I'd throw out the question before I tried it.

Thanks for the comments
Marshall
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ego45
17 years ago
Silvergold, let me rephrase my statement.
PRUNING old wood could be done as late as before terminal buds are formed. Exact timing is a zonal thing.
PINCHING new growth will result in no bloom since no auxillary buds will be formed.
I guess that will combine both yours and mine assessements.
Marshall got it right.
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ostrich
17 years ago
Actually, during spring, those darn deer ate most of the buds on my Limelight! I was SO MAD!!! To my delight, the Limelight is now covered with buds again! Perhaps these were the ones that were going to form buds anyway and did not get eaten by the deer??? I don'tknow. Anyway, I surely hope that they will become flowers before frost!
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silvergold
17 years ago
ostrich - glad to hear it! So, it sounds like it doesn't really matter when you prune!
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Hydrangea paniculata - what if---

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