I'm subscribing to see what everyone else does.

For me, the blooms hold a lot of weight of water, and once they fall, even after they dry and come back somewhat, the plant remains a little unbalanced. I try to counteract this by pruning my hydrangeas to keep them from getting too lanky. But overpruning, or pruning at the wrong time, can lead to loss of flowers in the following year, because my (and many) hydrangeas bloom from old wood.

Knowing that, consider pruning them heavily NOW. By August, the next year's flower buds start to develop.

 

Tomato cage around them works great
Posted via Mobile Device

 

Tomato cage around them works great
Posted via Mobile Device

Yep that's what I'd do. Spray em green to blend in
Posted via Mobile Device

 

Bump the bed out and plant a line of low boxwood. Those hydrangeas are better as background plants anyhow

 

Bump the bed out and plant a line of low boxwood. Those hydrangeas are better as background plants anyhow

Those will kill box woods from laying on em so much. I'd stick with cages
Posted via Mobile Device

 

Those will kill box woods from laying on em so much. I'd stick with cages
Posted via Mobile Device

With something evergreen in front you can prune a lot of those front stems. Paniculatas are going to be floppy or leggy, make leggy work.

 

Bump the bed out and plant a line of low boxwood. Those hydrangeas are better as background plants anyhow

Can't bump the bed out due to the way the irrigation was designed. I was told by the local garden center where I purchased to make sure none of my lawn fert gets on them and use bone meal on them in February when I cut them back.
Posted via Mobile Device

 

That's not bad advice regarding fertilizing. Nitrogen in lawn fertilizer promotes scraggly growth, while bone meal promotes blooming.
If you starve the plant of nitrogen, it may bloom, but won't grow too tall. I use the same idea with my roses.

But like I said, these are perennials, so they eventually get stronger and woodier. If you prune them correctly, you can avoid the floppiness.

Tomato cages and hedges. ROTFL. You've got to be kidding me.

 

I would use some metal trellises behind them or individual stakes for the floppy growth. Both are cheap and if these are a showcase plant why not spend the extra green....
Posted via Mobile Device

 

green garden stakes.... any garden center has them...theyre basically bamboo sticks painted green.... you can get some of that green garden twine and give the plants more 'skeleton'

Will take a while.

best thing to do is cut them back heavily in fall or late winter. they are kinda too big for their britches.

 

i vote get rid of them. i hate plants that grow all over the place like that. i like short, nice and tight plants that need little or no maintenance.

...then again i'm sure the customer loves them. they always love the things that are a hassle to maintain. :laugh:

 

i vote get rid of them. i hate plants that grow all over the place like that. i like short, nice and tight plants that need little or no maintenance.

...then again i'm sure the customer loves them. they always love the things that are a hassle to maintain. :laugh:

They are mine, and I do love them.

TP
I do cut them back to 24" or so in Feb. This is the second season for them. I didn't think they were going to get this big.... Oh well, I will try something different next year.
Posted via Mobile Device

 

because my (and many) hydrangeas bloom from old wood.

Knowing that, consider pruning them heavily NOW. By August, the next year's flower buds start to develop.

No. Those are hydrangea paniculata('Tardiva', 'Limelight','Grandiflora',etc.). They bloom on new growth. Prune any time before Summer next year.
Posted via Mobile Device

 

You're right. Heavy pruning when it's dormant Will cause the stems to become "lanky" and not as strong, in which will cause the heavy blooms make it droop.

This is the same case when people prune crepe myrtles improperly and butcher the branches.

Think of like like having a straw and you tie a washer to one end and try to hold it in the air. It needs support in order to not snap or droop.

I'm subscribing to see what everyone else does.

For me, the blooms hold a lot of weight of water, and once they fall, even after they dry and come back somewhat, the plant remains a little unbalanced. I try to counteract this by pruning my hydrangeas to keep them from getting too lanky. But overpruning, or pruning at the wrong time, can lead to loss of flowers in the following year, because my (and many) hydrangeas bloom from old wood.

Knowing that, consider pruning them heavily NOW. By August, the next year's flower buds start to develop.

Posted via Mobile Device