Panicle hydrangeas captivate our gardens in summer and autumn with their beautiful flowers. But what to do when they are past their prime? Panicle hydrangeas faded quickly. Should I cut off the flowers then?
Table of Contents
Use appropriate cutting tool
Simple pruning shears are sufficient for cutting off withered flower spikes. Larger household scissors can also be used if you pay attention to the following:
- only use sharp and clean cutting tools
- clean or disinfect before use
- otherwise transmission of diseases possible
- Viruses, bacteria and fungi adhere unnoticed to the cut surface
- penetrate the plant directly during the cutting process
Make the right cut
The panicle hydrangea tolerates a strong pruning in spring. Not only the faded flowers are cut, but also the entire plant so that it can sprout again and grow back vigorously:
- cut off everything that has faded
- creates space for new buds
- remove any old, frozen or dried up shoots
- new panicles form on new shoots
- therefore, a strong cut is worthwhile
- new blooms are then richer overall
Cut faded
If the dried and faded panicles bother you, you can definitely grab the scissors here in summer or autumn. In this case, however, only the flower spikes should actually be cut before winter, the rest of the plant not yet:
- cut directly under the flower
- leave more shoots
- otherwise moisture and cold will penetrate the plant
time of cut
The right time to cut the panicle hydrangea is early spring, whether it has faded or not. It is therefore advisable to only cut faded flowers now. Because it saves work. Cutting back the entire plant in autumn, when the plant has faded, is less advisable, as this pre-winter pruning could weaken the panicle hydrangeas in the face of the coming cold:
- Prune late February to early March
- before new sprouting
- on frost-free days
- dry weather
- choose an overcast day
- so neither sun, moisture nor cold can damage the plant
- the three factors do not tolerate interfaces well
frequently asked Questions
Of course, that is quite possible, because the colorful pink, white or even blue panicles look particularly decorative in a bouquet. For this you should use a longer shoot with one or more flowers. You must remove the lower leaves so that they do not rot in the water in the vase. You can then simply place the stalks in a large vase of water and change the water daily.
Unlike other flowering plants, the panicles of hydrangeas are still decorative long after they have faded. Because they don’t let their flowers hang, as is usually the case with flowering plants, but remain on the shoot. The individual petals lose their color as they dry out, but this gives them a particularly decorative appearance.
If you want to remove the flowers from the panicle hydrangea bush after they have withered, you can still use them for beautiful autumn and winter decorations in your home. Remove the leaves from the stem and hang the panicles to dry in a warm and airy place. After drying successfully, these feel parchment-like. In addition, they make a slightly wrinkled impression and fade.
You can combine the dried panicles with other dried flowers, for example roses and fruits such as apples, but also chestnuts or stalks of grass and grain. For Christmas arrangements, use gilded walnuts or cones in addition to the hydrangeas. So you can quickly make decorative arrangements without much effort.
