"Tiger303" wrote
hydrangea, cut out all dead stems & then down to 1st or 2nd healthy
bud? thing that confuses e is hydrangea's usually have two buds either
side of each other on a stem, do these count as one or two? i believe
its best to wait till mid march for pruning?

My hydrangeas never bloomed, until my gardening teacher told me that you
have to cut to where there are two buds either side, even if that means
cutting some stems very low to the ground. Worked like magic, and last year
my hydrangeas were so heavy with flowers they were bending under the weight.