Snowball hydrangea (Hydrangea macrophylla) is a popular shrub that is widely grown as an ornamental plant. Growing to heights of up to 6 feet, it has clusters of small, white flowers and large, round leaves. Snowball hydrangeas are hardy in U.S. Department of Agriculture hardiness zones 4 through 9, depending on the variety.
How To Care For Snowball Hydrangea
Here is the complete process explained in detail on how to care for snowball hydrangea:
1. Remove dead, diseased or damaged wood.
Use pruning shears to cut out dead wood and canes that have died back or are severely damaged. Make the cuts just above a bud or node, where there is new growth.
2. Remove any suckers that sprout from the base of the plant.
These are shoots that grow out from the rootstock and should be removed as soon as they appear so they don’t take energy away from the rest of the plant. Use pruning shears to cut them off at ground level.
3. Thin out canes so they are spaced 6 to 12 inches apart.
This will give your rose bush room to grow and help prevent disease problems in future years by allowing air circulation around all parts of the plant. It will also help you see where new growth is developing so you’ll know where to cut back in step 4 below.
Step 4:
4. Prune remaining stems down to 2-3 buds each, removing all other buds and flower clusters along with any suckers that sprout from below ground level (these will form roots at their nodes). You want to remove all but 2-3 main stems coming off each cane (the ones with the most buds).
The remaining stems should be evenly spaced around the cane, with no more than 2 buds per stem (you can leave some smaller stems with only one bud). Once you’ve thinned out your hydrangea’s stems like this, it’s time for a little maintenance pruning on an annual basis: Once a year during early spring before new growth begins, snip off any stems that have died since last year’s pruning and any small stems growing from below ground level (these will form roots at their nodes)
these are called “suckers.” If there are any large gaps between your remaining stems, use pruning shears to cut through a few of them near ground level in order to fill in those gaps with new growth; make sure not to remove too many though!
Once a year during late summer/early fall after bloom season has ended, snip off any dead flowers and leaves using pruning shears; dead flowers can attract pests such as aphids while still attached! I hope this information helps answer your question! Please let me know if you need further assistance or clarification on anything else!
Tips for How To Care For Snowball Hydrangea
Here are 5 things to take care of with respect to how to care for snowball hydrangea:
1. The plant should be kept in a location that is well-lit but not too sunny.
2. If you are going to be away from your home for an extended period of time, it would be a good idea to have someone come in and water your plants every week or so.
3. Add mulch around the base of the plant to help regulate moisture levels.
4. You will need to fertilize your plant every spring (in April) with a special fertilizer designed specifically for hydrangea plants.
5. In the fall (around September), you will need to cut back all of the stems by about two-thirds and remove about half of the leaves as well. This is called “heading back” and it helps keep your hydrangea healthy during the winter months when it isn’t actively growing!
Interesting Facts About Hydrangea
Here are 5 things you should know about hydrangea:
1. The flowers are a great source of pollen and nectar for bees, butterflies, and hummingbirds.
2. Hydrangea leaves contain cyanogenic glycosides which make them taste bitter to animals but not humans.
3. Hydrangeas can be grown as shrubs or small trees depending on the variety. Some varieties such as ‘Endless Summer’ grow up to 10 feet tall in one season!
4. The name hydrangea comes from the Greek words hydro meaning water and angeion meaning vessel or cup, referring to the shape of the flower’s calyx (the outermost part of the flower). Hydrangea is also known as hortensia, which is derived from Latin word hortus meaning garden and angustus meaning narrow or close together, alluding to its dense habit of growth.
FAQs
The answer to this question depends on your location and what you want to achieve. In general, I would recommend cutting back snowball bushes only if they are getting too tall or out of control, if you want to rejuvenate them, or if you need to prune them for some other reason.
In many cases, snowball bushes can be left alone or simply shaped up in the spring when their growth has slowed down a bit.
Additional Tips for Care of Snowball Bushes
The pruning method for snowball hydrangea depends on the size of the shrub and how you want it to look. It is best to prune your snowball hydrangea in early spring before new growth begins. Pruning at this time will also encourage new growth, which can be an advantage when you are trying to shape your snowball hydrangea.
If you want a more open plant, remove all the stems except one or two. These stems will become the main stems of your snowball hydrangea. The remaining stems should be cut back by about one-third their length to encourage branching. You can also remove some of the smaller branches that grow from these main stems if you do not like them.
If you want a denser plant with multiple layers of blooms, leave several shoots on each stem and cut them back by about one-half their length. This will encourage branching and make for a fuller plant with more flowers. If needed, remove some of the smaller branches after they have grown for a few months so that the main branches remain dominant and do not get too crowded.
Yes, I do. If you don’t, they grow into large bushes and it’s difficult to keep them looking good.
Do you know of any good books on gardening?
I like the Sunset Western Garden book. It has a lot of information on growing in the desert. I also like the Sunset Western Garden book for California. It’s very well done and has a lot of pictures. The problem with that book is that there are so many plants in it that aren’t hardy here in Tucson, but there are some great ideas for containers and hanging baskets.
Snowball bushes should be trimmed in the spring or early summer. This will encourage new growth and prevent the plant from becoming too large for its container.