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nikko blue hydrangeas out of control...can i prune now?

12 years ago

Hello all. We purchased a home last year with 5 yr old landscaping done by the previous owner. There is a row of 5 Nikko Blues up against the back side of the house. We LOVE them, the bright blue color, etc. But they are HUGE. They stick up past the window sills, and are so top heavy they fall over, taking up like 4' of patio (which we could definitely use back! :) Anyway, it's October 1st today. Am I going to regret it if we cut them back now? They have lost maybe half their leaves already and are looking pretty terrible. I'd like to cut them back to 1/2 to 2/3 their height, to avoid how overgrown they looked this year. I don't want to sacrifice all of next year's blooms, but I don't think I can make it through next summer without pruning them back. Thanks for any and all help!

Comments (3)

luis_pr
12 years ago
Unfortunately, you will have to sacrifice the blooms if you want to prune now. Hydrangeas like Nikko Blue bloom on old wood. Their flower buds develop starting in July-August so pruning now will remove the (now) invisible flower buds that will produce blooms in Spring 2012.

Some alternatives, none of which may be perfect....

If cutting them by a large amount (more than a third), you may want to do that in winter when the shrubs are really really dormant.

This option is called rejuvenation and you prune in thirds for 3 years only when the plant is dormant: cut the oldest 1/3 stems this year (prune them aaaalllll the way to the bottom); next year, prune the next 1/3; and on year 3, prune the last third. You could prune them this way -for example- every November for three years in a row (or do it every December, January, etc for three years in a row).

A variation of rejuvenation: leave the plants alone/unpruned now, let the shrubs bloom in Spring as usual, and then prune them in thirds as described on the next three Springs in a row. However, prune in thirds to the ground a few weeks after the bloomage show has started so you get to see & enjoy some of the show.
kglv
Original Author
12 years ago
Are the flower buds at the very tips of the "old" wood (green, 2011 wood)? If I cut all the stems back by 1-2' but be sure to leave visible buds on the 2011 wood, will the plants still bloom in 2012? Thanks.
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Dead wood can be pruned close to the base if you do not see any leaf out by mid-May. That is an at worst scenario and usually applies to pants in their first year of being planted. Yours should definitely leaf out much earlier but it is ok to wait. The lazy approach to identify dead wood is to wait. You can also use your nails to scratch the stems and see if you notice green or not. You can leave blooms from 2014 for winter interest or you can cut the string that attaches the bloom to the stem. That is called deadheading and you can read more about it in Method 1 of the link below, under Removing Old Blooms. These could produce blooms so better leave them alone until June. And if you have any dead stems during the growing season, feel free to cut them at any time. When time comes to prune in June 2015, you can give them a buzz and cut the stems by a quarter or in half. The plant will then trigger some new growth and invisibe flower buds at the 'new' ends of the stems. From those flower buds, you will get blooms in Spring 2016. Other people cut 1/3 of the longest stems down to the ground on Year 1, the second longest get cut in Year 2 and the rest on Year 3. It is called rejuvenating and is done every 5-10 years when you notice bloomage problems in terms of size and number. Luis PS - I would do a soil test, even if you end up using those cheap soil test kits, to see how the nitrogen/phosphorus/potassium levels are. This post was edited by luis_pr on Mon, Jan 19, 15 at 20:02
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Yellowing of old leaves -with no dark green veins- could signal heat stress, too much sun or a nitrogen deficiency. Too much sun affects only the leaves in direct contact with the sun so if shaded leaves are affected too then this may not be the cause of the problem. Morning sun and afternoon shade (or dappled sun) will prevent the leaves from getting scorched by the summer sun in warm areas. Soil kits are available on some plant nurseries and can help you tell if the soil needs (or does not need) nitrogen; you can add the fertilizer that you never added or use blood meal (high in N). While at it, make sure that the soil has not water issues (too little or too much). A ph kit can also tell if the ph is too low and the plant has difficulty absorbing some minerals at low levels. Wilting is common during the summer months so water if the soil feels dry to a depth of 4". About 1g of water per watering should be fine. Do not over-water as this causes wilting too due to root rot. 'Normal' wilting is something that the shrub can recover on its own if the soil is moist. Root rot wilting episodes develop and 'stay' 24/7.
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luis_pr
12 years ago
Yes, but some have flower buds further down. The remontant hydrangeas -if your prune their flower buds- will still generate blooms in 2012. The non-remontants ones will bloom again in Spring 2013. See this image of visible open buds for the sake of reference:

Here is a link that might be useful: Hydrangea flower buds

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