Pruning a Fallen Hydrangea

Think the second feed did it (we'll ignore the torrential downpours) - reduced a gorgeous hydrangea to this fallen state. But it was good whilst it lasted. Now we need to thin it out in such a way as to avoid destroying next year's blooms.

The standard way to prune shrubs which flower in the second part of the year is to cut them back to a healthy bud in late winter/early spring, as soon as the danger of severe frost has passed and the first glimmers of growth are showing.

Problem is, if hydrangeas are cut back too far, they don't flower that year. So, apart from taking about a quarter of the stems back to the floor this spring, I have been reluctant to cut the rest too much. Gradually, over the years (it's now 10 years old), it has got taller and taller. Now it's too tall. I have to do something, if only thin it out and get it back on its feet (the blooms are holding too much water, too much weight).

I read that if mopheads can be cut back early enough - whilst they are flowering but before the new flower buds are set - they will still flower the next year. The recommended time is July to early August. But the blooms had hardly opened in July, and some are still growing (most are about 20 cm (8 inches) diameter), that's the problem.

So I might be too late; there are already buds developing on the stems (purple on old wood and green on new). Can't tell if these are flower buds, or not.

Anyway, I have now thinned it out by cutting back about half a metre (18 inches) to a healthy bud.