Alright, let me tell you about wrangling my Annabelle hydrangeas this fall. They were getting a little out of control, ya know? Just flopping all over the place.
So, first things first, I grabbed my trusty pruning shears. Gotta make sure they’re clean and sharp, don’t wanna damage the plants more than necessary. I always give them a good wipe down with some rubbing alcohol.
Then, I just started hacking away, but not randomly! Annabelles bloom on new wood, meaning the flowers come from the new growth each year. So you don’t have to be precious about it. I wasn’t going for any fancy shaping or anything, just wanted to reduce the overall size and get rid of some of the dead stuff.
I started by snipping off any dead or broken branches, getting them out of the way. Then I went after the flower heads. Some were still kinda pretty, but most were dried up and brown. I cut them back to just above the first set of healthy-looking buds.
Here’s the thing: I didn’t go too crazy. Some people like to chop Annabelles almost all the way to the ground. But I’ve found that if you do that, you get these massive, heavy flower heads that just flop over anyway. So I left about 12-18 inches of stem on most of the branches. This helps give the new growth some support.
I also thinned out the center a bit, cutting out some of the older, weaker stems to let more light and air in. This is supposed to help prevent disease, I think. Honestly, I just hate it when the middle gets all tangled and congested.
- Cut out any dead, damaged, or crossing branches.
- Remove spent flower heads back to a healthy set of buds.
- Thin out the center of the plant for better air circulation.
- Leave about 12-18 inches of stem to support new growth.
Cleanup is important! I gathered up all the pruned branches and flower heads and tossed them in the compost bin. Don’t leave them lying around, or you’re just asking for trouble. Plus, it looks neater.
And that’s about it. It’s not rocket science, folks. Just get in there and give those Annabelles a good haircut. They’ll thank you for it next spring with a ton of beautiful blooms.
Now I just need to remember to fertilize them in the spring and maybe add some compost around the base. Then I can sit back and enjoy the show. Gardening is hard work, but it’s also pretty rewarding, right?
