Newly planted young hydrangeas are best left alone. If your hydrangeas were planted in a location where they can grow to their estimated size at maturity without bumping and encroaching other plants, do not prune them on a regular basis. It is an annual chore that is usually not needed. Below is a link to a website that covers pruning in lots of detail.

If the plants are cramped for space or cause safety concerns then yes, either prune them as needed or transplant them to a location where this chore is not often required.

That suggestion is in addition to a regular chore of cutting off stems that cross, look "ugly" or dead wood (I am referring to stems that, for one reason or another, do not survive during winter and become obviously dead by May when they still have not leafed out).

If the shrub develops flower buds in the Fall only (oakleafs and some macrophyllas like Nikko Blue and Tokyo's Delight as an example), you can prune after it has bloomed in Spring but before the start of July. If it is a macrophylla rebloomer like ES, you can prune at any time and not loose a whole year's worth of bloomage because eventually, it will bloom again. In the case of these rebloomers, cutting off the spent blooms forces development of new blooms so feel free to deadhead the blooms when you do not like the color/form anymore. See pruning suggestions for ES in the second link below.

http://www.hydrangeashydrangeas.com/pruning.html

http://www.endlesssummerblooms.com/en/consumer/plants/theoriginal/care/pruning

Paniculatas (like Vanilla Strawberry) and Arborescens (like the Annabelle types) produce flower buds in Spring so you can prune them after they bloom thru the time when they are about to produce new flower buds again on the following year.

Enjoy. You have a very nice collection. Maintain 3-4" of mulch up to the drip line and fertilize them once in Spring. Try to keep the soil as evenly moist as you can, meaning no prtiods of dry soil then moist then back to dry and so on. A 1/2 cup to 1cup of compost, composted manure or cottonseed meal should be enough for newly plan ted hydrangeas. You can also use a slow-release general purpose chemical fertilizer with a NPK Ratio of 10-10-10 (some forms of Osmocote for example). You can sprinkle some coffee grounds, liquid seaweed or liquid fish thru the growing season but stop around July to make sure that they go dormant in time for winter's arrival.

Luis

PS - I would love to go overboard as you did too! The only thing that keeps me under control is the lack of shaded areas and the possible addition of a 1-yr old puppy to the family.

This post was edited by luis_pr on Sat, Nov 23, 13 at 13:13

I live near you in Montgomery county MD. You should never have to prune them. The best thing to do is to bury them in leaves over the winter since they'll bloom on buds that form in the fall and need protection. What I do is pile leaves on top of them in the fall and as long as the winter isn't too cold, they produce blooms the next year.

You don't need to do this with pee gee and limelight as they bloom on new growth. Generally speaking, if the hydrangea produces white blooms, you don't need to bury them. Otherwise you do.

All I CAN say is that you have a wonderful collection. I love
all of those...as they are in my garden also.
Over board is good when it come down purchasing
hydrangeas. Good luck with them.
I consider Luis a real expert with these plants....always
good, detailed advice.

Margaret