Hydrangeas will come back healthier after winter if gardeners do 1 simple job in January

Pruning is important but pruning at the wrong time can greatly damage flowers (Image: Getty)

As the UK continues to experience the most significant cold spell of winter so far, many gardeners may be worried about how their hydrangeas are surviving in this extreme weather. 

If you wish to keep your hydrangeas healthy and have an impressive display by summer, the best gardening task is not pruning them or going anywhere near your shears right now. 

The best way to protect your hydrangeas in January is incredibly simple, as all you need to do is leave them alone. 

Hydrangeas are currently dormant, and cutting them now will expose more of the plant to frost, which is more likely to damage your flowers rather than help revive them. 

Nikki Hollier, a gardening expert and founder of Border in a Box, has shared that the correct time to prune hydrangea depends on the type of flower you have in your garden.

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Hydrangeas should be left alone in Januaryto avoid stressing them out (Image: Getty)

She said: “There are two main groups of hydrangeas: those that flower on old wood (last year’s growth) and those that flower on new wood (this year’s growth).”

When can old wood hydrangea be pruned? 

Hydrangeas which flower on old wood such as mopheads or lacecaps form their buds during the previous growing season, which is typically late summer or early autumn. 

Pruning these types of hydrangea in January can risk cutting off their buds, which will result in no flowers at all for the entire year so they are best left alone until we are fully in spring. 

Nikki said: “These hydrangeas should be pruned in spring after the risk of frost has passed. The old flower heads should be left on over winter to protect the buds beneath.”

The best time to prune hydrangeas in in spring when the frost has passed (Image: Getty)

When can new wood hydrangea be pruned? 

Hydrangeas that grow their flowers on new wood such as bigleaf or panicle are much tougher than other types of hydrangea as their buds form during their current growing season. 

This means that new wood hydrangeas are yet to grow their flowers, but it is still best to wait to prune them until the end of winter. 

Nikki said: “These hydrangeas can be pruned in late winter or early spring before they start to produce new growth. They can also be pruned more hardily than the other types.”

It is typically best to wait until late February to early March to prune hydrangeas as there is still a risk of exposing the plant to frost damage if you cut them too soon. 

Gardeners just need to stay warm indoors at this time of year and wait out the chilly weather if they want to see their garden have big colourful blooms in spring and summer. 

However, if you are still concerned about your hydrangeas, consider mulching them to protect your flowers from the frost.