Even if the beautiful flower balls of the hydrangea enchant the garden with their charm for many weeks, at some point the splendor is over. The flowers lose their color, turn brown and have faded. In this article we explain how to remove dead flowers professionally.
How do I properly cut off spent hydrangea flowers?
To professionally cut off spent hydrangea flowers, use clean, sharp rose scissors and cut directly below the umbel, above the next leaf base. Alternatively, you can carefully break out the flower umbels with your thumb and forefinger.
Cut off the faded flowers
To ensure that the hydrangea produces new flowers quickly, you should regularly cut off any dead flowers. To do this, use sharp rose scissors (€21.00 on Amazon), which should be very clean. The cut is made directly below the umbel, above the next leaf base.
Breaking it out is gentler on the hydrangea
The hydrangea regenerates much more quickly if you carefully break out the flower umbels. This is very easy:
- Grasp the hydrangea branch below the flower and above the next leaf axil with your thumb and forefinger.
- Carefully break the shoot away using your fingernail.
Cut hydrangea flowers for drying
If you would like to use the hydrangea flowers as room decorations or for dry arrangements, they are cut when they are largely ripe. So that the hydrangea flowers can be arranged attractively, you should cut them off in a twenty centimeter long style. You can then preserve the flowers by drying them.
Pruning in August
If you have broken out or cut off all the spent umbels in midsummer, you can thin out the hydrangea a little at the same time. This means more light gets into the interior of the hydrangea, which has a very positive effect on flower formation.
Tip
Do not cut off the spent inflorescences in autumn, but leave them on the plant until next spring. The dead umbels exude a morbid charm that fits well into the winter garden setting. At the same time, these protect the inflorescences that have already been planted for next year from frost damage.
