When to prune Endless Summer hydrangeas for better blooms – and the crucial times to avoid snipping

Hydrangeas are one of the most admired shrubs among home gardeners; loved for their gorgeous display of summer blooms and low maintenance. Developments in breeding have created modern hydrangea varieties that can bloom for longer, however, even new types need to be pruned with care to keep them healthy and thriving.

Endless Summer hydrangeas are a popular brand of reblooming hydrangeas that were first introduced in 2004 and are now commonly seen in garden centers. They are highly versatile hydrangeas, come in various colors, and can bloom over a long period thanks to their flowering habits.

While these hydrangeas require minimal pruning, it is vital to understand when to prune Endless Summer hydrangeas to avoid hindering the plant’s health or impacting any future display of stunning blooms. Discover the right time to prune these hydrangeas, and learn some mistakes to avoid, from a renowned hydrangea expert.

The best time to prune Endless Summer hydrangeas

Endless Summer hydrangeas can bloom longer than many other hydrangea varieties if you plant them somewhere with full sun and dappled afternoon shade and keep them moist, but not waterlogged. Proper pruning encourages longer flowering, so follow our guide to when and how to trim to have happy plants year after year.

When to prune Endless Summer hydrangeas

Knowing when to prune hydrangeas often proves a tricky topic for many gardeners. The truth is that varying types of hydrangeas are best trimmed at different times and it is a hydrangea pruning mistake to get that timing wrong.

Get the timing right for trimming Endless Summer hydrangeas

To alleviate any potential confusion, Lorraine Ballato, author of ‘Success with Hydrangeas’ and the resident hydrangea expert at New York Botanical Garden, explains how the flowering habits of Endless Summer hydrangeas affect when and how they need to be pruned.

‘Endless Summer is a big leaf hydrangea (macrophylla) and it flowers on both old and new wood. Therein lies the basis of confusion. You can cut it back multiple times in the growing season but not in the fall, winter or early spring,’ says Lorraine.

Endless Summer hydrangeas often need little or no pruning at all, though getting the timing right is key to avoiding pruning mistakes that can rob you of blooms or hurt the overall health of the shrub.

Lorraine Ballato

Lorraine Ballato is a hydrangea expert and the author of the international best-selling book 'Success with Hydrangeas', available at Amazon. She is also an in-demand speaker throughout the US and the resident hydrangea expert at the New York Botanical Garden.

Trimming Endless Summer hydrangeas through the year

• Prune in spring once the hydrangea is actively growing, just as the buds are starting to break. At this stage prune out any damaged or dead stems, which will be brown and brittle, and leave any new green growth or buds
• Endless Summer hydrangeas are bred to rebloom throughout the season, so it is recommended to deadhead the hydrangeas through the summer to promote the development of new blooms
• Pruning should not take place in the fall or winter

Lorraine Ballato explains how Endless Summer hydrangeas should not be pruned after the start of September as cutting in fall will stimulate the hydrangea to generate new growth.

‘[That is] not what you want at that time of year when it should be focused on making buds for next year and then going dormant,’ says Lorraine. ‘You can also inadvertently remove bud-bearing stems when you cut in the fall (as well as winter and early spring).’

As Endless Summer hydrangeas set their buds in the fall, pruning after the end of August can leave you without any early-season blooms to enjoy next spring. So, when you look at your Endless Summer type and wonder, should I cut back the hydrangea in the fall? The answer is a definitive no - and remember to avoid winter and early spring too.

FAQs

Should I deadhead my Endless Summer hydrangea?

Endless Summer hydrangeas want to be deadheaded throughout the summer to encourage a continuous cycle of blooms. Using a pair of clean and sharp pruning shears, start deadheading in mid-July and continue to remove spent bloom until the middle of fall.

If you stop deadheading in mid-fall, the last flowering heads can be left to provide interest over winter. Dried hydrangea flower heads look stunning tinged with frost in a winter garden and the old flower heads can protect the younger growth and buds from winter cold.