We had our first listener question at Homegrown NH, from Vera in Concord:
My oak leaf hydrangeas have grown large and are overtaking their beds. Do I wait until spring or after they bloom next summer to prune them? I’ve been told that pruning now will hinder flowering….I love my oak leaf hydrangeas and their delicate blooms. I want the plants to thrive but also work well in the allotted beds.
Oakleaf hydrangea is a shrub that is admired for beautiful oak-shaped leaves that turn red, gold and purple in fall, as well as large conical blooms in midsummer that turn pink in fall.
Emma Erler, Homegrown NH host and lead horticulturist at Kirkwood Gardens at Squam Lakes Natural Science Center, notes that oakleaf hydrangeas bloom on old growth, so they’ve already formed their flower buds for next season.
“I would wait to prune them until after they bloom next year,” she says. That way you're not sacrificing the coming year's beauty with all the flowers.”
In the spring, Emma says that if they have any damage from the winter, or any dieback, go ahead and remove anything that's dead or broken. But try to reserve the bulk of your pruning until after those plants have bloomed.
If you like hydrangeas in your garden but are trying to plant native, oakleaf hydrangeas are native to North America.
“You're more likely to find them in the southeast than up in New Hampshire,” says Erler. “But remarkably, despite the fact that they like a warmer climate, they still do quite well in New Hampshire.”
Gardeners love this shrub for the interesting shape and fall color of the leaves, as well as unusual peeling bark that is visible in winter.
If you have a question for us, you can send us an email or voice memo to Homegrown NH@NHPR.org.
See you in the garden!
Homegrown New Hampshire is a collaboration between Squam Lakes Natural Science Center and NHPR.
