Hydrangeas and pruning

meandher1989

Hi All - New to the site and the wonderful world of gardening. I have 4 hydrangeas and was wondering what I should do about pruning them?

I can't seem to add pictures because it's too large and don't know how to change it!!! 

The hydrangeas are about 80cm in height and have thick green leaves on them with buds.

Any advice welcomed. Cheers Nick

Fairygirl

Hi Nick - do you know what varieties you have? The pruning regime depends on the type 
I'd suggest though - that at height, they won't really need pruning, assuming they're all  healthy, which sounds like the case 
If you don't have a photo editor on your computer, there's a guide from the admin folk here somewhere. I'll see if I can locate it

Fairygirl

Here it is. Have a go. Most people find if the pic is less than 1MB, it's easier

https://forum.gardenersworld.com/discussion/1013057/how-to-resize-an-image/p1

meandher1989

Thank you for helping Much appreciated. I don't know what name they are as I just threw away the label when I planted them DOH!!

Fairygirl

I wouldn't prune those just now, but what I would say is - you're going to struggle to keep them in that wee border.
Sorry to be the bearer of bad news but - they get big, or should, but they won't in there, and even removing a couple won't help much. They won't grow outwards very readily either unless they can get enough water and nutrition.
You'll have to keep removing branches which means you won't get so many flowers, and they generally won't be what they should. They'll tend to be dry too, being against the wall.
I'm assuming they have access to the soil below the bed?

meandher1989

Thanks for that. The last few years they have just been getting bigger. Luckily they seem to flourish and flower very well for months. 3 of them get good sun in the summer but during the winter not much at all, if any. 

But they take lots of water and they just keep giving. If they start to die then I can't really do much as that's about the only place I have room for them, so maybe I'll hack them back again when necessary. 

They don't have much access to soil underneath (About 10 inches deep) but they've been going for quite a few years now. I never expected them to survive past 1 year let alone 4/5. But now I've got time for gardening I'm just astounded to see so much survive in my garden. I have a "Let's bung it in there and see what happens" sort of garden which has gone gaga and blossoming like mad now I've started to look after it  

Fairygirl

The best way to keep them is to remove branches now and again, right back at the base, rather than pruning all the tops. If you get any damaged, or dying ones, those are the ones to take out. 
I thought they were young plants - at that age they should be pretty big, but the lack of room to get a big rootball is why they aren't.  
Do they flower well? They look healthy enough, so you're obviously giving them enough care  

Obelixx

I would thin them out by removing a third of the stems right back to the base every spring, after flowering if they are mopheads or lace caps and as soon as leaf buds start to break if they are not.   

The only pruning to do after that is to shorten the remaining stems immediately after flowering if they are mopheads or lace caps because next year's flowers will come on the previous season's new growth.  The others flower on new season's growth so can be pruned in early spring.

Since they are growing in such limited space and depth of soil I would give an annual mulch in autumn, a generous feed of slow release fertiliser in spring and regular drinks in dry weather with occasional liquid tomato feed from March to end of June.