How to Prune Hydrangeas by Type: Old Wood vs New Wood

More on hydrangeas

• Hydrangea planting zones — every type, the zones it suits, and when the last spring freeze lands in each zone
• Why Is My Hydrangea Not Blooming? Causes and Fixes
• How to Prune Hydrangeas by Type: Old Wood vs New Wood — this page
• How to Change Hydrangea Color: Blue or Pink by Soil pH
• How to Prune Limelight Hydrangea and Vanilla Strawberry
• How to Prune Annabelle and Incrediball Hydrangeas
• How to Prune Endless Summer Hydrangeas (Rebloomers)
• How to Prune Oakleaf Hydrangea: After It Flowers
• Hydrangea Pruning Chart: When to Prune Each Type
• Hydrangea Tree Care and Pruning (Tree-Form Panicle)
• Hydrangea Winter Care: Fall Pruning, Cages and Mulch
• ZIP code zone finder — your exact USDA zone, to read the tables on these pages against

Old wood or new wood

Ohio State Extension: old wood is the previous year’s growth. The buds for this year’s flowers formed the year before, usually in August, so a hydrangea that flowers on old wood and is pruned or cut down in fall has little to no bloom the next year. New wood is the current year’s growth; those types set their buds in the year they flower, and can be pruned in fall or very early spring.

Minnesota says bigleaf hydrangeas form next year’s flower buds in late summer to early fall, August to September. That is why their window closes before August.

When to prune each type

Which wood each type flowers on: Penn State for bigleaf, oakleaf, smooth and panicle; Oregon State for mountain; Ohio State for climbing; Minnesota and Penn State for the reblooming bigleaf types. The same table on one printable page, with the varieties people ask about, is the hydrangea pruning chart.

By variety: Limelight and Vanilla Strawberry (panicle), Annabelle and Incrediball (smooth), Endless Summer (reblooming bigleaf) and oakleaf, each with your zone’s freeze dates beside the timing of the extension services in your region.

For which other shrubs flower on old wood, see how to prune flowering shrubs; for the pruning calendar across the garden, when to prune by zone.

⚠️ Where the sources disagree. Oregon State’s general care page says that in its experience when to prune is mostly a matter of convenience — fall and early spring both worked — while also saying the later and harder you prune, the fewer flowers follow. Minnesota, Penn State and Ohio State all say a fall or winter cut on an old-wood type removes next year’s flowers. Oregon State’s newer article gives the same split by wood as the others.

How to make the cuts, step by step

1. Know the type first. Penn State says read the plant tag and ask at a nursery. If the cultivar is unknown, Ohio State says watch the new growth for flower buds during the season.
2. Take out the dead wood. Oregon State says established hydrangeas have woody branches inside that die back every year; cut up to a dozen of these to the ground to spur new growth at the base. Minnesota says dead wood is the only pruning a climbing hydrangea needs.
3. Cut just above a bud. Minnesota’s heading cut sits about 1/4 inch above a bud. Oregon State’s care page says 1/2 to 1 inch above a budding node, at a 45-degree angle.
4. Take no more than a third. Oregon State says remove only dead, damaged or weak stems unless reshaping is needed, and no more than one-third of the plant at a time.
5. Deadhead with care. Oregon State says deadhead spent flowers as you like, taking care not to remove developing buds.
6. Go easy on young plants. Oregon State says prune a young plant only enough to form a good shape.

Panicle and smooth hydrangeas: size and flower size

Panicle. Minnesota says prune back to just above a fat bud in fall, late winter or spring, but suggests waiting until late winter or spring so the flower heads give winter interest. Ohio State says cutting large, established plants back to 24 inches after each season gives a flush of growth the next spring with very large flower heads, and that ‘Limelight’ flower heads, which hold on into spring, can be removed any time after the flowers fade. Penn State and Ohio State both say panicle hydrangea can be trained to a single trunk, as a tree form; see hydrangea tree care and pruning.

Smooth. Minnesota says let the plant grow a season or two before any hard pruning, then cut it to the ground in spring, or not at all for a larger shrub. Ohio State says it can be cut to under 4 inches each year in late fall or very early spring; that thinning the new shoots in mid-spring gives larger flowers; and that leaving last year’s stems gives more flowers, but smaller and less even.

Reblooming hydrangeas

Minnesota says Endless Summer and other cultivars in that series — it names Blushing Bride, BloomStruck, Summer Crush and Twist ‘n’ Shout — bloom on last year’s wood and on new wood, so they bloom whether you prune them or not. Penn State names the Endless Summer and Let’s Dance collections: early flowers on old wood, late summer flowers on new wood. Oregon State adds ‘Starlight’ (Let’s Dance), ‘Revolution’ (Everlasting) and ‘Fire Island’ (Seaside Serenade).

They are not immune to cold. Ohio State says these plants still need protecting during April freezes, or the stressed plant will delay or reduce flowering, and it still recommends winter protection.

Protecting old-wood buds through winter

Ohio State says protecting three buds is enough for next year’s flowers: prune back to just above the third bud, then pile mulch or cage the plant with leaves and compost, and take it off once new leaf buds emerge. Cages, rabbits, uncovering and each zone’s freeze dates are in hydrangea winter care.

Common mistakes

• Cutting an old-wood hydrangea in fall. Little to no bloom follows (Ohio State).
• Pruning a bigleaf hydrangea in August or later. Its buds form in August and September (Minnesota).
• Hard-pruning a young smooth hydrangea. Minnesota says let it grow a season or two first.
• Taking more than a third at once. Oregon State’s limit.
• Deadheading into the new buds. Oregon State says leave the developing buds.
• Pruning after a heat wave. Oregon State says the lush new growth is more easily damaged by later heat.
• Pruning a climbing hydrangea for shape. Minnesota says it needs little to no pruning ever.

Every pruning guide

• When to Prune by Zone: Late Winter or After Flowering
• When and How to Prune Roses by Zone
• Pruning Fruit Trees in Late Winter: Apple, Pear, Peach
• How to Prune Flowering Shrubs: Spring vs Summer Bloomers
• What Not to Prune in Fall, and the Cuts That Are Fine
• How to Prune Evergreen Shrubs and Hedges
• How to Prune Hydrangeas by Type: Old Wood vs New Wood — this page
• Hydrangea Pruning Chart: When to Prune Each Type
• How to Prune Limelight Hydrangea and Vanilla Strawberry
• How to Prune Annabelle and Incrediball Hydrangeas
• How to Prune Endless Summer Hydrangeas (Rebloomers)
• How to Prune Oakleaf Hydrangea: After It Flowers
• Hydrangea Tree Care and Pruning (Tree-Form Panicle)
• How to Prune Crape Myrtles Without Crape Murder
• Your USDA hardiness zone by ZIP code

In the South

Clemson, writing for South Carolina, gives the same split: it lists bigleaf and oakleaf hydrangeas with the plants to prune after flowering, because they flower on the previous season’s growth. It gives no month. UF/IFAS says French (bigleaf) hydrangeas do best in North and Central Florida, with shade, moist fertile soils and cool winters. We found no Texas source on hydrangeas, so Texas advice here is limited; ask your county AgriLife Extension office.