Expert: John Cawly - 11/11/2006

Question
We moved into our house one year ago and found that we have a snowball bush, a large not very pretty shaped one that bloomed in August. We are anxious to prune it but we are not sure when to do it. It still has some dead blooms on it but all of the leaves are dead or gone. It has several very knotty stalks and lots of tiny dead branches. Would it benefit from a hard pruning in winter? We will be pruning some of our other bushes and our grapevine in Feb. Should we wait and do this one at the same time?

Thank you very much.    Jennifer

Answer
Hi Jennifer,

Most likely what you have is a summer-blooming hydrangea (_Hydrangea arborescens_ or _Hydrangea paniculata_).  This plant develops flowers on new growth each season.  So, the plant can be pruned from November through March.

If the shrub has been neglected over the years and has become unsightly, drastic pruning is unnecessary to rejuvenate the shrub.  The more common method is to remove approximately 1/3 of the branches each year until you have a manageable shrub.  Drastic pruning is very stressful to the plant and though the plant will continue to bloom, severe pruning can provide opportunistic pathogens a foothold.

Check out the wonderful website:

http://www.hydrangeashydrangeas.com/paniculata.html

This should give you some wonderful pictures.  Perhaps you can identify your hydrangea.

(The more common snowball bush, _Viburnum opulus_, blooms in early spring.)

Good luck and Happy Gardening!

John