Panicle hydrangea

Panicle hydrangea flowers a bit on new wood, but mainly on old wood. Pruning that is too severe may therefore jeopardize flowering. Even without annual pruning, the shrub blooms profusely. Naturally branching from the base, it can be pruned to form a small tree with a single trunk. As such, this “tree-form hydrangea” is not produced by grafting.

• Tree-form panicle hydrangea: Annual pruning is not required. If necessary, the length of the branches can be reduced by one-third or one-half.
• Panicle hydrangea branching naturally from the base: While annual pruning is not necessary, an old shrub that is sparse at the base can be rejuvenated. This rejuvenation pruning can be done gradually (over 3 years) by each year removing a third of the branches aged five years or older. You can also perform a heavy pruning (coppicing) by cutting all the branches back to the ground (10-15 cm) in early spring or fall. Cutting back will delay flowering for a few years.