Bigleaf hydrangeas: Best approach to winter pruning

08.03.2024 - 19:09 / theprovince.com / Helen Chesnut

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Q. My hydrangea bushes are overgrown and badly in need of pruning. They are the kind with big mophead type flowers. I believe they are called “bigleaf” hydrangeas. When, and how, should they be pruned?

A. Bigleaf hydrangeas (Hydrangea macrophylla) can usually be safely pruned after mid-February, when freezing temperatures are often behind us, but considering the wildly fluctuating temperatures so far this year, check on forecasts and watch for cold warnings.

Choose a dry, mild day for the pruning, and begin by thinning to reduce congestion in the shrubs.

First, remove at their base the most weak and spindly stems, and any that are awkwardly placed. You can take out up to a third of the stems.

Watch for remaining stems bearing pairs of fat, green buds below the old, faded flowers from last year. Those buds will develop into flowering growth. Make cuts immediately above the uppermost pair of substantial buds on a stem.

Q. I’ve had problems with birds raiding my pea plantings. Unless I cover a seeded plot with mesh netting, the birds dig up the seeds. Last year, after I uncovered the plants, the birds stripped the pods from the vines. This year I’m thinking of leaving the netting on until the peas have all been picked, but I’m wondering whether the flowers need pollination. I’m wondering about tomatoes as well. Do tomato flowers require flying insects to pollinate them for fruit formation?

A. Both peas and tomatoes have “perfect” flowers; that is, each flower contains both male and female reproductive organs. Peas are highly self-pollinating. The