Garden

[Mom2Dogs]

I have asked in the past about when to trim and have been told late winter, early spring but I am wondering if I can trim right after the blooms fade....I have two different styles of plants, strawberry hydragena as well as the old style traditional plant....waiting until early spring to trim is a little difficult as sometimes spring can come late and then I am afraid I will be cutting off the blooms....what do you think?....I would prefer to take care of the trimming after labor day.

 Thanks

[luvmybeetle]

I usually trim mine back in September after blooming is over.  They come back very full  the next Summer.  I would be interested to learn if that is correct or not.

[Mom2Dogs]

@luvmybeetle....I really, really, need to trim the strawbery hydrangea...I have two -close together, they are huge.  I had no idea they would grow so large or I never would have bought two....the nursery knew where I was planting them...I showed photos of where I was going to plant.....they never said a word about possibly being to big.

If I don't trim and we get a heavy snow, I think there could be serious damage to the plants.

[fthunt]

I had two "H" plants - the weak one didn't make it through the first winter.  I read on Google to cut back in fall - and some said in the spring.  Like you.......snow load - average in NE 160 inches - I cut the darn thing back in the fall.  There was still some green (leaves) showing when I kissed it ............bye until Spring.  It's healthy again this year; and getting taller -  small rose bush size.  I say...CUT IT BACK IN THE FALL - and don't worry.

[BirkiLady]

@Mom2Dogs  You need to know exactly what types of hydrangeas you have. The old one probably blooms on old wood.

If the strawberry is a Strawberry Vanilla, it probably will bloom on new wood. You need to check on Google and thoroughly research each of your plants. They will be treated differently.

Keep the trimming in mind EACH year for the individual plants. When to prune makes a big difference if you have blooms or not the following year!  

[Chicagosuburbangirl]

My mother in law was a wonderful gardener.

I take her advice and take them down to about 10 inches from the ground in the fall.

They always come back more abundant than the year before.

The ornamental grasses and sedum are cut down also.

Usually close to Halloween is when I do this,

[luvmybeetle]

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@Mom2Dogs wrote:

@luvmybeetle....I really, really, need to trim the strawbery hydrangea...I have two -close together, they are huge.  I had no idea they would grow so large or I never would have bought two....the nursery knew where I was planting them...I showed photos of where I was going to plant.....they never said a word about possibly being to big.

If I don't trim and we get a heavy snow, I think there could be serious damage to the plants.

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I didn't know they would get really big either.  I have a bit of room for them but they are really full.  Mine also turn different colors during the blooming time.  As the season goes by they start to turn a different color.  I have always trimmed before Winter and they always come back just beautifully.

[Mom2Dogs]

@Chicagosuburbangirl.....my instincts told me to trim....so I will trim!

I trim everything down in the garden in the fall, sometimes I also trim my daylillies after they bloom and then I get a 2nd bloom a few weeks later!

[Veridoc]

I always trim back in the fall. I use the leaves I rake for mulch and really pile them on. It works really good, except for this year. I would really love to hear from you all about my hydrangea dilemma. It was really getting big and full of blooms and then whammy....it stopped growing and lost leaves. We did have an unusual amount of rain this summer so I wonder if it got too much water. It is in a spot that has good drainage. I live in the south and it is planted on the north side of the house and gets morning sun. Any suggestions? Thanks in advance.

[PINKdogWOOD]

@BirkiLady  My DH who is very seasoned landscaper. He said the old fashioned blooms on 2nd yr wood so you should prune just the blooms. Don't cut these back b/c you'll cut off the old wood.

The new one, strawberry blooms on new wood so you can cut back early spring b/c they bloom in the summer. And he said you could prune these spring and/or fall.