The hydrangeas at my new house look very 'woody' and look dead....?

They have new buds on though would cutting them back severely and feeding the soil help get them back? Is it the time of year that is making them look brown and dead?

The hydrangeas at my new house look very 'woody' and look dead....?
That is what hydrangeas look like in the winter. I keep the dead flower heads on to give the buds some frost/snow protection but in the spring you need to prune them back. Some people cut back one third of the bush severely every year to above a suitable bud. In this way the plant is rejuvenated every three years. I have to keep mine in check and I prune every stem every year. Shovelling on compost in the spring will help grow a healthy bush.
Reply:hydrandeas are shrubs.most plants go to sleep this time of year.you could prune it but it would be best to leave it until after the next growing season to see how well it flowers
Reply:You don't say where you are, but late winter is a good time to clean them up. Remove damaged and crossing branches. Try to get a uniform shape. Make your cuts right above where you see leaves that look alive. I always try to take about three years when I cut back something in a new place.


After they have leafed out you can do a bit more gradual shaping up. You may forfeit a few flowers if you cut too late, but the overall health and attractivness of your plant will be appreciated. I have cut hydranges almost to the ground and they got to be about 8 feet by the end of the year. I am not sure what they were fed, but they like rich soil. Maybe a general fertilizer like Organic 5-5-5 and a little later give them superphosphates to stimulate flowering. Some healthy compost or mulch would help them retain moisture. on which they are dependent. Just don't feed them too much or too early.
Reply:yeah, they're supposed to look dead in the winter. i moved into my house last march and had the same thought! as soon as it warms up and you can stand it, get out there and cut back all the dead stems. i'm in NY and I think mine bloomed toward the end of June/July. Ive been told to trim them back in November, just before winter. Good luck! They'll be beautiful this summer!
Reply:Depends on your weather. I'm in the mountains and we have to cover ours through the cold months. They will look dead during this time.





When spring hits I usually put a dark %26amp; righ soil mix around the roots. If you want a bluer appearance use an acidic mix - if you want pinker blooms use a base mix with limestone or some type of dolemite.





Be careful when you prune back - only cut stems at an angle and don't cut up to anything that appears to have life. In the winter I generally cut mine way back to get the "dead" off it - they'll sprout back bushier every year!
Reply:Bigleaf Hydrangeas (the blue kind) set their blooms on last year's wood. So be carefull, you may cut off almost all your future blooms. The best time of the year to cut them back is immediately after the blooms fade and begin to look sad. You can save these blooms for dried arrangements by hanging them upside-down in a dry storage room, garage, etc. If you cut them back then, they still have time to set buds for the following summer, before winter sets in. If I were you, I would wait until this coming summer and cut them back after they complete their first bloom for you.
Reply:that's what they look like this time of year
Reply:hi if you have removed the deadheads of last seasons flowers by just pulling them off f you could just leave them and will continue to grow next year cut them back to about 4 inches and they will shoot up again
Reply:when the bushes are bare you should cut them down to about the last set of nodules, give them some all year food and don't water them too much in the winter, in the spring give them a solution of epsom salts diluted 1 - 100 around the plant, this will assist the leaves and flowering





good luck