Giving any living plant an unnatural shape is always going to require extra maintenance.

Panicle hydrangeas bloom on new growth and should be pruned in late winter to early spring before leaf emergence. Remove spent flowers and prune to improve overall plant structure and habit.

The size of panicle hydrangeas can be reduced by removing a few branches in the spring. Aug 18, Smooth and panicle hydrangea (blooms on new wood): Prune in fall or winter, when plants are dormant (before new growth begins). Thin out excessive growth or prune the whole plant back to the ground.

Heavy early pruning will produce smaller plants with larger blooms, not pruning will produce larger. Mar 25, Prune back stems to just above a fat bud - called a heading cut - in fall, late winter or spring. These plants have conical-shaped flower heads. I recommend leaving the dry, tan flower heads on the plant to provide some winter interest in your landscape, so I wait to prune these until late winter or spring.

Some favorite panicle hydrangeas. Sep 04, In your case, since your hydrangea tree is overgrown and the branches already bend under their own weight, it would be wise to prune it before winter.

If not, there is a risk that they snap off in snowy or icy weather, so, in October or November, simply cut all branches back to about 6 to 8 inches (15 to 20 cm) from the top of the trunk. Aug 02, When should I prune hydrangeas? Pruning hydrangeas tends to be done in late winter to early spring. Depending on your region, this is generally late February to early March.