Below is a before and after look at how I pruned my Limelight tree hydrangea this year. My Limelight is about 10 years old and the before picture was taken last August: beautiful, full and loaded with flowers. As much as I loved it, I did notice that the crown had become so thick that it was shading all the perennials planted underneath and that the center had too many crossing branches.
Two weeks ago, I did a hard pruning – this does not need to be done every year. I find that doing this rejuvenation pruning every 2-3 years keeps my tree hydrangea in good shape and consistently producing lots of flowers.
~ Terry Soares
Before
After
