Can anyone please advise how to prevent a hydranger becoming leggy?
They struggle to hold their flower heads up. There never seems a
good time to cut back and it doesn't seem to make much difference
whether they're in full sun or shade.

Thanks

Edwyn

On Sun, 29 Sep 2002 21:06:33 +0000 (UTC), Treflan
wrote:

Can anyone please advise how to prevent a hydranger becoming leggy?
They struggle to hold their flower heads up. There never seems a
good time to cut back and it doesn't seem to make much difference
whether they're in full sun or shade.

Some Hydrangeas are naturally a bit floppy but make sure yours is
getting plenty of water. They really *hate* to dry out and this has
been a very dry period - at least round here in the SW, it has!
To tidy up Hydrangeas you need to take a few stems out each year and
leave a few for them to flower on, taking those out the next year etc.
OR you can cut them right back and accept that you might not get any
flowers for a year. All that said, I know someone with a huge and old
Hydrangea. She happily admits to knowing nothing about them and hacks
hers down to a bud or two above the ground every year and it springs
back, covered in flowers each summer!
--
Sacha
http://www.hillhousenursery.co.uk/