HYDRANGEA SPRING CHORES – DO THIS, NOT THAT

The recent warm spring temps seem to be waking up the garden and gardeners. When it comes to hydrangea spring chores, however, there are things you should do. Most importantly, there are things you should NOT do.

TOOLS

Clean up your tools, especially anything you use for cutting (loppers, pruning shears, snips, handsaws, etc.). Wash off the dirt and debris that you might have left on them last fall. Disinfect them liberally using wipes, rubbing alcohol, disinfectant sprays, etc. COVID taught up that. Keep those disinfectants handy as you will need them throughout the season.

Assorted Pruning Tools

Check the handles of all your tools. They might need to be reconditioned with boiled linseed oil. I also find it helpful to spray paint a bright stripe of orange on small hand tools (which I can often misplace) so I can find them easier.

As long as we’re talking about tools, take the time to sharpen all your cutting tools. You can either take them to a professional who can do the job for you or learn how to do it yourself. It’s pretty easy once you have a sharpener designed for the job. My favorite is a diamond stick sharpener that I can carry with me and use as needed once I start my pruning regimen. 

Diamond Sharpening Stick

YARD CLEANUP

The yard and garden look especially messy this time of year, spawning the urge to clean it up. I would caution you, however, to wait until the nighttime temps are consistently above 40 degrees. Doing so will give nesting bees and other beneficial insects time to wake up. Many bumble bee queens, firefly larvae, lady beetles and wasps overwinter in leaf litter. Once those temps warm up, they will vacate their winter homes and start to get into the swing of things. If you must cut things down, bundle the stems and debris and move that bundle to an out of the way place to allow those creatures time to emerge on their own schedule. 

HYDRANGEA CLEAN UP

When it comes to hydrangea clean up, plan to remove all the dead leaves at the base of the plant, especially if you had diseased foliage last season. The pathogen that caused that diseased foliage winters over and will reinfect this year’s plant as soon as the conditions are right. While you’re at it, check that you have enough mulch for the upcoming season and top it off if necessary.

If you wrapped your hydyrangeas last fall or put them to bed in a “leaf cage” wait to remove that protection until you are sure ALL danger of frost has passed.

Big Leaf hydrangea encased in leaves for the winter

WILDLIFE ISSUES

If you garden in “deer country” get out there and fence/spray your plants NOW! Deer are hungry this time of year and will eat just about anything. Plus the does are pregnant or about to deliver, making them even hungrier. The does will teach their newly born fawns all about your plants if you let them. This year I plan to try Plantskydd for the first time as it is purported to deter rabbits as well as deer. The rabbits are an even worse adversary so I am willing to try something that will work. 

Plantskydd Animal Repellent

PRUNING

The big question – can I prune my hydrangeas now? Yes, you can but only the ones that flower on new wood. That means you can go after your woodland/smooth hydrangeas like ‘Annabelle’, and any of the Incrediballs and Invincibelles. You can also cut back your panicle hydrangeas like ‘Limelight,’ Firelight, Quickfire, etc. They will flower on the growth they produce this season.

DO NOT PRUNE YOUR BIGLEAF, MOUNTAIN, OAKLEAF, AND CLIMING HYDRANGEAS YET. They flower on the growth they generated last year and those buds are still sleeping. If you must, only remove the dead, diseased, or damaged wood now. Here is an extensive post on hydrangea pruning.

FERTILIZING

Wait until you see new green growth on your plants before you fertilize. But you can get ready for this annual activity. First thing to do is get your soil tested, especially if you want to change the color of your big leaf and mountain hydrangeas. Here is another extensive post on fertilizing hydrangeas. Once you have that figured out, go ahead and stock up on the necessary products. There are lots of sales and spring openings in my area so I am taking advantage of the lower prices so I have what I need when I need it. 

IRRIGATION

Once the temps have warmed enough, you should be able to turn on your hoses/irrigation system. Make sure to check it out in the event we have a repeat of last year’s dry conditions. Those dry conditions will negatively impact the flower production on your plants, so do the necessary repairs and get that water flowing.

WHAT TO EXPECT FROM YOUR HYDRANGEAS IN 2025

2024 was a banner year for hydrangeas up and down the east coast and elsewhere. We had the perfect storm of a prior damp fall in 2023, followed by the mild winter of 2023-2024, and plentiful spring rains in 2024. I don’t think we’ll be so lucky in 2025. Dry fall 2024 conditions, and a wickedly cold winter in 2024-2025 will give our old wood hydrangeas a run for their money. Keep your eyes out for spring temperature swings that could further negatively impact your plants. I personally have low expectations for my old wood hydrangeas. I am heartened, however, that the reblooming varieties I have will fill in during the latter part of the season as they get their mojo back.

SOME GOOD NEWS TO SHARE

You might recall that last year I released an electronic version of my award-winning book, Success With Hydrangeas, A Gardener’s Guide. I just heard last month that this Ebook has been recognized as a finalist in the 27th annual Foreword INDIES Ebook of the Year Awards. Although I don’t expect to take home the grand prize, I am honored to have my book selected. This makes the third finalist position my book has earned in the last 2 years. The soft cover made it to the finals of the Book Excellence Awards and Global Book Awards last year.

In 2024, this blog was also honored to have received a Silver Award from GardenComm for Best Media – Blog as well as their Horti Award (People’s Choice) for Best Digital Content thanks to you.

Silver Award for blog writing: “Success With Hydrangeas”

So I am on a roll.

UPCOMING PUBLIC SPEAKING DATES

Audience listening to speaker

Why not plan to attend one of my public talks? Here’s where you can find me for the remainder of the first quarter of 2025:

March 18. Rye Public Library Reading Room, 1061 Boston Post Rd, Rye, NY. 9.30 Coffee, 10.00 Business Meeting, 10.30 Lecture. Pruning Basics – Hydrangeas and Beyond. Free.

March 26, Greenwich Botanical Center (GBC) 10 a.m. Safe Solutions to Gardens and Landscapes. Fee based.

My award-winning hydrangea book is available for purchase at all live events. A signed copy makes a great gift for you or another hydrangea lover, especially for your upcoming celebrations and holidays. And, you can always order one from this site anytime.

I look forward to seeing you. Tell/bring your friends.

Thanks for reading.