I am a relatively new homeowner, without much gardening experience. We have a large rhododendron and a big hydrangia in our backyard, and were wondering what the best practice is for pruning these. The hydrangia still has last years flowers on it, although they look quite bad now. Should I snip these? Thanks in advance.
Pruning Hydrangeas should be pruned now. If the shrub needs to be reshaped, cut out the oldest and weakest shoots at the base of the plant. The flower heads should be pruned to the nearest good new shoot. Rhododendrons normally do not need pruning, but if the shrub is too congested, one or two of the oldest shoots could be cut out completely or to a low shoot, in the summer after flowering. If complete renovation is required, you could cut back all but the the young stems now, but by doing this you will be giving up a good display of flowers this year.
