How to Cut Back Frozen Hydrangea

Large clusters of sweetly scented flowers and green foliage make a hydrangea an attractive shrub in the landscape. Several varieties of hydrangea commonly are grown in home gardens. Each type has slightly different pruning requirements during the regular growing season, although they all require special pruning if they suffer from winter frost damage. The three hydrangea prone to freeze damage that requires pruning are Hydrangea arborescens "Hills-of-Snow," Hydrangea macrophylla (French or florist's hydrangea), and the Hydrangea quercifolia oakleaf varieties.

Shears

Instructions

- 1
  Inspect the hydrangea bush for freeze damage in late winter or early spring. Dead, damaged branches darken and become brittle. Live branches that survived frost remain green on the interior.
- 2
  Cut Hills-of-Snow hydrangea back to ground level in spring before new growth begins, using sharp shears, if the entire plant is killed back by frost. Prune back to the nearest live wood if only the branch tips suffer cold damage.
- 3
  Wrap Hortensia hydrangea in burlap after the first frost to protect the plant from severe winter damage. Remove the wrapping in early spring when the buds begin swelling. Cut back the damaged branch tips to the nearest healthy living wood, which is wood with visible live buds.
- 4
  Prune oakleaf varieties back to within ¼ inch of a bud on healthy wood in early spring. Cut back stems to the ground if they are completely dead or if they are more than 3 years old.

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