Complete Hydrangea Pruning Guide: Timing and Techniques by Variety

Prune hydrangeas for appearance, not size control. Bigleaf (macrophylla) bloom on old wood: prune in spring as dormancy breaks—remove dead canes, cut 1/3 of oldest canes to ground, then trim remaining canes to first or second bud pair. Paniculata (Pee Gee) and Arborescens (Annabelle) bloom on new wood: prune late winter/spring, can cut hard or shape as tree. Rebloomers (Endless Summer) bloom on both: prune like bigleaf but less severely. Replace oversized varieties with compact cultivars (‘Mathilda Gutges’, ‘Pia’, ‘Pink Elf’).