In my April Connecticut garden, the first hydrangeas I'm pruning are the ones that flower on the growth they will put on this year, better known as "new wood." In hydrangea-land, those are hydrangeas arborescens or woodland/smooth hydrangeas like 'Annabelle', or for example any plant that has Incrediball® or Invincibelle® in its name. There are many others. They will all have "arborescens" as the second part of their name. The flowers are round and either white or shades of pink. None are blue and you can't change their color.

It’s just about time to start the gardeners’ spring ritual of pruning. We have had a few teaser days of 50 degrees but where I live in Connecticut the footing hasn’t been safe enough to go out and do much. But it has been a good time to get things ready. I have been reading about people in the warmer areas of the country doing some pruning and although it makes me a little envious, I know enough not to rush the season. Even though we are in March, I recall last year how much snow we had in March 2018 so I can be patient a little while longer. If it's too early to get outdoors and prune for you too, here's what I would suggest. Get your tools in order. A good cleaning, oiling, and sharpening now will pay dividends later on. Make sure you have a good pair of gloves, a tarp, a bypass pruner as shown in the photo, a lopper, disinfectant spray, and/or anti-bacterial wipes at the ready. BYPASS PRUNERS THE BASIC TOOLS FOR HYDRANGEA PRUNING   ...

Not everywhere. If your hydrangeas live in warm parts of the U.S. and Europe , and the spirit moves you, you can consider pruning your new wood bloo ming hydrangeas now . It's hard to conceive of that when you live where I do as we stare down yet another frigid blast of cold air over the next few days. But for those gardeners in places like Arkansas , Atlanta , and parts of the UK , your new wood bloo mers can be cut back now .

Hydrangea paniculatas including 'Limelight' are in full bloom in my part of the U.S. right now. And the reblooming big leaf hydrangeas like Let's Dance® Rhythmic Blue® continue to produce their repeat blooms like the one in this photo . Fortunately, we have had generous unprecedented mid-season rain that has helped to keep all the flowers coming and colorful.

LAST CALL TO PRUNE NEW WOOD FLOWERING HYDRANGEAS     This is your last call to prune new wood flowering hydrangeas. If you haven't cut back your hydrangeas that bloom on this year's stems -- your new wood bloomers -- you are running out of time. We're talking about 'Annabelle' hydrangeas, and all those beautiful Invincibelle ® Spirits, Incrediballs ® , and other hydrangea arborescens. Don't forget your hydrangea paniculatas like  Quick Fire ® , and Pinky Winky ® .   By now they have broken dormancy just about everywhere and are setting up their flower buds for this year like this 'Annabelle' New wood blooming hydrangeas breaking dormancy should be pruned NOW. or this 'Limelight'. If your hydrangea paniculatas look like this, you better hurry to cut them back!   So get out there and make the right cuts to shape those plants and keep them healthy. BUT, if you can't get around to it with graduations an...