After reading so many how-to’s on the correct way to prune Pinky Winky Hydrangeas — and getting discouraged by how involved some of the directions were — I came up with this easy way to prune Pinky Winky Hydrangeas – if you need to prune them at all.
It can be super-intimidating when researching that new shrub or plant you purchased. Am I right?
You planted it in the ground last Spring, and now it’s time to kick-start your garden again. Knowing what to prune — and when — can get overwhelming.
Dumb it down, Einstein!
So I’m trying to dumb it down for my own benefit, and hopefully help you too!
The image above is the only good one that I liked on the interwebs right now. It’s from Monrovia, and it’s where we got our Pinky Winky Hydrangeas which were planted a few years ago when we had our front landscaping completely redone.
The yellow arrows show the Pinky Winky shrubs. We’ve got two more on the other side of this large bed as well.
(And no, you didn’t miss the post about this amazing landscaping transformation. I never finished sorting through the hundreds of pictures I took of the entire process. However – stick with me, because I’m going to share it all very soon, most likely over a few blog posts so that I don’t inundate anyone with too many images at a time!)
Note: Some of the links in this post are affiliate links. I explain more here.
How to prune Pinky Winky Hydrangeas the easy way!
Here we go — instructions in a nutshell, so you can read this and get outside to prune your own Pinky Winky Hydrangeas!
Here’s what our Pinky Winky Hydrangeas looked like in early Spring this year.
(I almost want to ask you to pardon my dirty garden gloves. Almost. But I’m keeping it real here, and these are usually what my gloves end up looking like after awhile!)
Note: You can read about my favorite gardening gloves in my post here. I swear by these gloves!
I like to leave the dried flower heads on our hydrangeas (all types) for Winter interest. Sometimes they end up being blown away by fierce winds, but mostly they stay on the plants and I like the look.
Step One: Start at the end of a particular branch – and in my case it will be at the very tip of the flowers.
Step Two: Now follow the branch away from the tip until you see the first set of buds forming.
Your eyes won’t have to travel down the branch very far.
Step Three: Take your hand pruners and simply make a cut just above those buds.
That’s it.
Didn’t I mention possibly no pruning is needed with Pinky Winky Hydrangeas?
Why yes I did.
While you will come across many a garden book, online article or blog post on the interwebs about the precise way to prune Pinky Winky Hydrangeas — such as pruning back certain branches in order to get larger blooms — I simply don’t have time for that.
You don’t either. (And if you do — kudos to you, because I just don’t have that amount of patience!)
If you don’t want to prune your Pinky Winky Hydrangeas, you honestly don’t have to.
Many gardeners just prune a stray branch here or there to keep the shrub tidy. Or perhaps they prune any branches that are crossing (and touching), as that could cause the branches to begin rubbing against each other and some kind of bad, evil fungus could set in.
And there are gardeners like me who will prune just like I showed you above.
The point? It’s up to you!
Try whichever way works best for you and then see how your hydrangeas do.
That’s really all we can hope for, right? We try our best at taking care of our garden plants and shrubs, and over time we learn what works and what doesn’t quite work.
Here’s what one of the Pinky Winky Hydrangeas looks like just one month after being pruned. You can’t even see where I made any of the cuts, so all is well in my world!
I promise to share more pictures of these hydrangeas as the season progresses, so you can see how they’re doing.
Happy gardening!
~Laura
Thank you so much!!! I appreciate your very easy directions!! you’re my kind of girl!!!!!
Thanks Jacqueline! If the easy way works, do it, right? 🙂
Yes, me too. I love simple directions! Gardening should be fun, not stressful.
Definitely Margaret! Stress-free indeed!
hi i read your web-site about the prunning of pinky winky, i prunned mine in early spring,this year 2017, it is the first time i owned the pinky winky my husband bought it for me last june in 2016. as i said i prunned it down to about one foot from the ground, i have nothing showing yet at the end of april, did i kill my shrub?
What part of the country are you in Jeanette? It’s hard for me to answer without a bit more info. Your shrub should be ok. Can you tell if tiny buds are forming on the 1-foot high stems you left after pruning?
I have a Pinky Winky that stands about ten feet tall now and it’s blocking all my perennials and they are not blooming period I need to cut it back severely. I don’t know if there are any buds after I will cut it back. If you have any idea of how I should do this please let me know, thank you
Did you find out how to trim your large hydrangea tree? I’m in the same boat.
Hi Rachelle — Please see my answer to Sue. Your Pinky Winky is growing as a tree? That must be SO pretty! Shape up the tree as you desire, and know that Pinky Winky blooms on new wood each season.
Hi Sue — My own Pinky Winky shrubs have skyrocketed too this year! I’ll work on taking updated pictures to share here. I plan on cutting them back quite a bit like you, because these shrubs have proven to me that they can really take off on their own just in one season! Pinky Winky Hydrangeas blooms on new wood — which means you don’t have to worry that you will be removing future blooms when pruning back the shrub.
How can you promote budding on a branch that only has green budding at the very end.?
Have several branches that are basically bare. If I trim them, they are still bare or will it put out buds?
Anne, if you see only one or two buds at the very tips — don’t despair. It’s possible that more buds will develop as the season continues. Also — my own Pinky Winky have grown HUGE this Summer…and they started small like in these pictures. (I’ll have to post updated pics!)
Thanks Laura, this answers several questions about our plant as the blooms have not been as big as the first year, but hey, they still look great!
KISS! (Keep it simple – stupid)
Bernard
Yes, you’re right about keeping it simple. I’ve read in multiple places that if you want bigger blooms, to remove several stems, so that the blooms are concentrated on a few main stems. I’ve never tried this, but perhaps it’s something to look into. Or, maybe add some nutrients or good old fashioned manure mixed into the dirt around the shrub.
I JUST PLANTED THEM THIS SUMMER DO I PRUNE BACK IN FALL OR LEAVE THE FLOWERS SOON DYING IN TACK AND PRUNE BACK IN SPRING
Although you can technically prune back your Pinky Winky hydrangeas in the Fall, I prefer to leave the flowers to die back – as you mentioned – and then prune in the Spring.
I’ve had my pinky winky for 2 years….didn’t prune it much in the spring, and it criss-crossed all over the place and looked ugly, except for the amazing blooms. I just finished cutting it almost to the ground (it’s Fall) because I didn’t like how it looked once it had bloomed. Is it going to be all right do you think? It blooms on new wood, right?
Yes Anne, it should be ok and yes Pinky Winky shrubs bloom on new wood so you should be fine. I understand how big these can grow and your wanting to tame them! Ours got rather large too this year, so I’m looking forward (sort of) to tackling a bigger pruning job in the Spring! LOL
Yes, I always have pruned in the fall. Mine are huge and beautiful every year. Just prune to where a node is, and you can prune pretty severely if you need to.
Thanks for your comment Linda! I’m glad to know that you’ve had no problems pruning your Pinky Winky shrubs in the Fall. I do prune my Endless Summer hydrangeas in the Fall, but just can’t bring myself to say goodbye to the dried blooms on my Pinky Winky plants! LOL
I was not home when a friend who was helping me rake and such thought he was helping and trimmed my Pinky severely – About almost to the ground. he is so sweet I could never say anything. Will it ever blossom again? I live in Indianapolis. What should I do?
Ugh! Helpful friends mean so well, and yet… No worries, however. Your Pinky Winky Hydrangeas will be smaller this year, because all of the “new” stems will come from the ground. The existing “stems” — even though they are near the ground — WILL send out buds and new shoots and stems as well. Fertilize them a bit — nothing too crazy — and hope for the best. And let me know how they turn out — I’m very curious!
Love the simple, straight forward instructions. Can’t wait to see the results this year with my hydrangeas.
You’re welcome Charmane! Let me know how they turn out this year!
Just got one and looking to plant asap. Yours look like they are in full sun. Old style like the North side. Please advise, and love your write ups. Thanks!
Thanks Dave! Yes, I have mine in full sun, although I’m sure they wouldn’t mind a bit of afternoon shade too. Not sure what “old style like the North side” refers to, so you’ll have to help me out with what you mean. 🙂
The original/heirloom hydrangeas like shade and do the best on the North side of the house.
Ah, now I understand! Yes, I still love those types of hydrangeas — there were deep blue ones I used to see all over New England in the Summertime when I used to live there…just so pretty!
My pinky winkys are so tall they hide everything. can they be pruned now? no blooms yet but I don’t want to hurt the plant and have no flowers this year, or should I just wait until next winter. BTW, i pruned them drastically and am surprised they are so tall. thank you for your help……………….
Hi Jane — I’d suggest waiting, at this point, although I don’t know where you live so it’s hard to know what your particular growing season is doing right now. As I mentioned in my article above: “If you don’t want to prune your Pinky Winky Hydrangeas, you honestly don’t have to.” And yes, once your Pinky Winkys love the spot they’re in — they will grow big each year, so no worries about pruning them down too much. 🙂