Hortensie (Hydrangea macrophylla)

How to prune Hydrangea macrophylla (Mopheads)
Don't remove the dead flowers on mophead Hydrangeas until the following mid-Spring. During the late

Hydrangea ''Endless Summer''

winter and early Spring, the dead flowers will protect tender young buds from hard forsts.When you do remove the flowers, cut back the stem below the flower to just above a healthy looking set of buds.
Whilst pruning back the dead flowers keep a look out for frost damaged branches or shoots. Cut damaged wood back to the fist healthy looking set of buds. Prune out any weak looking stems at the same time.

CARE OF HYDRANGEAS

Hydrangeas like to be kept evenly moist at all times, this is the major factor in producing good specimens. They also like a well-drained soil. So lots of mulch around the base of the plant but not touching it is very beneficial.

If the plant is on good soil then very little feeding is required if they are well-mulched. If the soil is sandy and Hydrangea ''Midi''

lacks nutrients, a twice yearly (early spring and mid-summer) feed with some liquid tomato feed will satisfy their needs.

Don't use a feed rich in nitrogen because nitrogen will encourage

leaf growth at the expense of flower growth.

Hydrangea ''Endless Summer'' when feed rich nitrogen from compost