- How do I prune lace cap hydrangeas and will they come back after hard prune?
How you prune your lace-cap hydrangea depends on what you would like to achieve and the state of your plant. It is important to remember that lace-caps bloom on the previous year’s growth, so keep this in mind when pruning your plant.
If you want to extend the flowering period of your lacecap hydrangea, you can dead-head the flowers by cutting back to the second set of leaves below the flowerhead right after flowering. This will have the advantage of preventing the plant from spending energy to set seed instead of directing that energy into growth.
In late winter/early spring, cut out any dead, diseased, or damaged stems to the base of the plant. Also, cut two or three of the oldest flowering stems back to the base of the plant at this time. The plant will send up new shoots that will bloom next year. If your hydrangea is well-established, but requires more extensive pruning, you can prune out up to 1/3 of the oldest flowering stems at this time.
If your hydrangea is well-established but in need of a complete renovation you can cut it down to the ground in late winter/early spring. However, keep in mind you will not get blooms until the second year.
Sources
https://www.hydrangeaguide.com/pruning-lacecap-hydrangeas/
https://www.rhs.org.uk/plants/hydrangea/pruning-guide
Victoria Master Gardenenr Association Training Course notes by Jane Tice
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