How to deadhead hydrangeas - top tips to improve blooming and tidy up your garden

You wait all year for your plants to bloom, and while there’s no doubt that hydrangeas are worth the wait, it’s always disheartening when you spot the tell-tale signs of fading. And if you’re at that stage right now, you might be wondering how to deadhead hydrangeas.

One thing you might not realise about hydrangeas is that you don’t technically need to deadhead them if you don’t want to. But if you find that the spent blooms are making your garden look untidy, doing so can certainly help to promote blooming and improve the overall health of your plant.

As David Denyer, Flower Expert at Eflorist, explains, ‘Doing this tells the plant to stop focusing on making seeds and start growing new blooms — giving you more colour throughout the season.’ But how do you deadhead hydrangeas? Well, we’ve got you covered.

What you’ll need

Step-by-step guide

1. Choose the right time

Timing is everything in gardening, and this is especially true when it comes to deadheading hydrangeas. In fact, deadheading at the wrong time is one of the biggest deadheading mistakes you can make.

Morris Hankinson, Director of Hopes Grove Nurseries, says, ‘Cutting blooms too early can inadvertently remove developing buds that would have produced flowers later in the season. This can reduce the number of blooms and limit the plants' flowering potential the following year.’

‘So make sure you only start to cut right after the flowers start to fade and lose their colour, this is typically in late summer or early autumn. Remember not to deadhead too late in the season too, especially for varieties that bloom on old wood, as this could remove next year's buds, resulting in little to no blooms,’ he adds.

Morris Hankinson

Morris Hankinson is the founder and managing director of Hopes Grove Nurseries Ltd, the UK’s only specialist grower-retailer of hedging plants. He established the thriving business in 1992, shortly after graduating with a Commercial Horticulture Degree from Writtle College, Essex.

2. Prepare yourself and your tools

If you know it’s the right time to deadhead your hydrangea, you may feel inclined to jump straight in and remove the spent flowerheads. But it’s best to hold your horses and prepare yourself and your tools first.

David says, ‘To keep your plants healthy, it’s important to clean and sterilise the shears between uses. This will help you avoid accidentally spreading diseases from one plant to another.’

After all, it’s always important to clean your garden tools - no matter what you’re doing in the garden. You can either do this with a mixture of soap and warm water or with a dedicated disinfectant.

3. Identify and cut the spent flowers

When you’ve completed the first two steps, you can then move on to the fun bit. This requires some precision, though, so you might want to grab your glasses.

Peter Ivanov, gardening and plant expert at Fantastic Gardeners, says, ‘Examine the hydrangea plant and locate the spent flowers that have faded or withered. They're usually easy to spot because they will have lost their vibrant colour and may look wilted.'

‘Take your sharp pruners or gardening shears and position them just above the first set of healthy leaves or leaf nodes below the spent flower head,' Peter adds.

However, when deadheading any plant, you want to avoid making any straight cuts. Instead, Peter suggests making an angled cut, being sure to steer clear of the plant's main stem.

You can then do the same for the rest of the plant, with Peter advising to, ‘Continue to wipe your pruners between each cut to prevent the spread of any potential diseases.'

Peter Ivanov

Peter Ivanov is a gardening and plant expert who has been working at Fantastic Gardeners for 8 years. As one of the company's top-performing experts, he now manages over 6 teams of gardeners, delivering stunning landscape results and fostering a deep connection with nature through his work.

4. Collect and dispose of the waste

When you’ve successfully deadheaded your hydrangeas, you can then collect and dispose of the waste. The best way to keep your garden tidy and prevent self-seeding is to collect the removed flower heads in a container or bucket for your own ease.

Then, ensure you dispose of the collected flower heads properly, either by composting them to feed your garden for free or disposing of them as green waste.

5. Water and mulch the plants

Deadheading can be a stressful experience for hydrangeas, which is why it’s always a good idea to give them some TLC when you’ve finished.

'After deadheading, water the hydrangea as needed to maintain adequate moisture levels,' advises Peter. 'Consider also adding a layer of organic mulch around the plant to help retain moisture and suppress weeds.' When mulching, consider using grey water.

And now you've successfully completed the deadheading process, which is a garden job that your hydrangeas will thank you for, especially if you're trying to keep them looking up to scratch for your garden border or front garden ideas for longer.

FAQs

What month do you deadhead hydrangeas?

Ultimately, this all depends on your variety of hydrangea. As most hydrangeas flower during the summer months, you should expect to deadhead your hydrangea no later than August.

However, it’s important to note that you don’t necessarily have to deadhead your hydrangeas if you don’t want to. Keeping the spent flowerheads on the plant can make an intriguing addition to your winter garden and even protect the plant from cold temperatures.

Should I cut off brown hydrangea leaves?

If your hydrangea leaves are turning brown, this is generally a sign that something is wrong. It may be that your plant is suffering from one (or more) of the following:

• Underwatering.
• Overwatering.
• Too much sun.
• Incorrect soil pH.
• Transplant shock.

And while you can certainly cut off your brown hydrangea leaves, this won’t solve the above problems. Because of this, it’s best to inspect your hydrangea and work out what’s causing the issue.

Well, there you have it. Happy deadheading!