Hi, We have 3 lovely, huge hydrangea bushes. We just moved to our home a year ago and I didn't cut down the hydrangeas until the Spring. I thought the dried flowers peeking through the snow would be nice. They grew back just fine (and huge!). However, my neighbor told me that the stems would be woody if I didn't cut them down in the fall. Any truth to that? We live in southeastern Wisconsin. Thanks. Sarah
i don't ever cut my hydrangea back - most of them bloom on the previous years growth, so, if you cut them back, you could lose the flowers. they will die back a bit with the cold weather...that seems to be just enough to keep them from getting too large. if you find that the bush is getting to large/high for the space it's in, you can trim back a little after they've bloomed. just be sure to look for the nodes (bumps) that indicate where the blooms will be next year and cut right above them.
