How to Prune Annabelle Hydrangea

Annabelle is a variety of hydrangea that is easily found in nurseries or garden centers, according to Hydrangeas! Hydrangeas! It produces white flowers that can be more than 10 inches in diameter and produces even after harsh winters. Annabelle hydrangea is different from mophead and lacehead hydrangeaas, two other popular varieties, because the blossoms grow on new wood. Take that fact into account when it is pruned.

Difficulty: Moderately Easy

Instructions

Things You’ll Need:

• Pruning shears

1. Prune the Annebelle hydrangea in summer, winter or fall. At all costs, avoid pruning during the spring, as this is when new growth comes in. Pruning new growth leads to killing off the year’s blossoms.

2. Remove dead branches, using pruning shears. Dead branches on the Annabelle hydrangea sap the plant’s resources and do nothing in return.

3. Snip back just above the node of leaves any branches that cross each other. This creates more air circulation through the center of the plant, and it also gives the Annabelle hydrangea a more tidy look.

4. Snip any branches that jut out. Hydrangeas are hardy plants, and they can be cut back significantly before they die.

Tips & Warnings

• Cut back Annabelle hydrangea to the ground during the fall. It will return in the spring, growing only as large as it did the previous year.