Monty Don’s simple hydrangea trick leads to huge summer blooms

A simple March routine recommended by horticulturist, broadcaster, and writer Monty Don can transform sad hydrangeas into a riot of colourful summer blooms. With a few precise snips, even ordinary hydrangeas can produce spectacular flowers. March is a crucial month because this is when the buds for the season begin to swell.

Pruning or deadheading too early, however, can remove these buds and drastically reduce the number of blooms. Gardeners can often be confused about when to prune and deadhead, especially when plants have become overgrown.

The key lies in knowing the difference between pruning and deadheading. Experts Monty Don and Alan Titchmarsh stress the importance of distinguishing between pruning and deadheading, the Express previously reported.

Deadheading removes only the old flower heads once flowering has finished, while pruning trims or reshapes stems to maintain plant health and structure.

Writing on his gardening blog, Monty Don previously shared a simple gardening rhyme that’s easy to remember: “if it flowers before June, do not prune.”

In his March gardening tasks blog post, however, the expert reportedly shared a lesser-known tip. It involves cutting each faded flower head just above the top pair of healthy buds beneath the bloom.

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This technique removes the spent flowers and any frost-damaged tips while keeping the stem and dormant buds intact, allowing the plant to continue producing strong new growth and vibrant flowers throughout the summer.

Sophie Law, Deputy Editor of Spare Time at Reach Plc, wrote: “I soon discovered that the optimal time to deadhead my hydrangeas is in late March, just after the last frost, as the plant is emerging from dormancy.

“At this stage, any wood damaged by winter can be trimmed away without risking the loss of healthy flower buds, ensuring a vibrant display of blooms in the summer.”