According to the green-fingered gurus at the Royal Horticultural Society (RHS), the most commonly grown hydrangeas in the UK are lacecaps and mopheads. Mopheads are easily identified by their full, round heads of large petals while lacecaps have small flowers in the centre of the bloom and an outer border of larger petals.
The experts advised: "Most pruning is in late winter or early spring. However, climbing hydrangeas are pruned after flowering in the summer." It's crucial to prune hydrangeas at the right time of year or Brits could risk chopping off the next year's flower buds.
Although the blooms on mophead hydrangeas can, in some mild areas, be removed as soon as the colour has faded, experts recommend leaving them on to plant over the winter months. According to the RHS, this offers some frost protection for the "tender growth" buds below. The pros added: "Remove the dead flowerheads in early spring, cutting back the stem to the first strong, healthy pair of buds from the faded bloom.".
"Lacecaps are hardier, and the faded flowerheads can be cut back after flowering to the second pair of leaves below the head to prevent seeds developing, which saps energy from the plant.". For any hydrangeas which are established, it is advised gardeners cut one or two of the oldest stems at the base to encourage the production of new, replacement growth that will produce more flowers.
Overgrown plants can be entirely renovated by cutting off all of the stems at the base, reports the Express. The gardening experts have warned: "However, this will remove all the flowers for that summer. The stems won't bloom until the following year.".
