I live in zone 9 in FL. I have been away for most of the Summer & haven't given any attention to my Hydrangeas. I'm home now & they look like this! Some old dead blossoms, a very few new. These bushes definitely need to be trimmed, but I don't know what to trim off or what to keep. The pics show lots of dead & big flourishes on top. How do I proceed? Thanks
Depending on the type of hydrangea you have, I wouldn't trim now. You may be cutting off flower buds for next year. The most you could do is cut off the old, spent flower heads just below the flower cluster. Wait until spring to see what stems survive and edit out the dead ones. Best to shape right after blooming. You might want to determine what type of hydrangea you have - one that blooms on old wood or one that blooms on new wood.
