Show #12/8312. Hydrangeas, Hydrangeas, Hydrangeas

Remontant Bloomers

We’ve talked about some hydrangeas that bloom on new wood, there are also hydrangeas that bloom on old wood. Oftentimes, in the garden center, we hear terms like remontant bloomers. Let's talk about that a little bit. Remontant is something that is somewhat new in the hydrangea world. It simply means that plant will bloom on the old wood or new wood. They still bloom on old wood, those buds that were formed on last year's stems, but they bloom on new wood as well. So when those flowers are finished, you'll start to see those new stems coming up, and a whole new array of blooms amongst the old wood blooms. Those are remontant bloomers. They are somewhat new to the world of hydrangeas, at least in our lifetime. One thing that plant developers try to do more and more to make hydrangeas better and easier to grow is to try to tighten that space between when the old wood blooms and the new wood blooms. What results is more of a continuous bloom, rather than a bloom in the spring, waiting and then a bloom in the fall. In fact, the hydrangea Let’s Dance Sky View is a continuous blooming hydrangea for that very reason. It blooms on old wood, very dependently, and then those new wood stems grow so fast it seems like there's no break at all. You just get this long, long bloom time throughout the season because of the old and new wood blooming habit. Does it matter when we prune them if we want to maintain shape on our hydrangea? Yes and no. Of course you have those old wood stems, which you only want to prune after they have finished flowering the previous season. Then it's pretty easy to see that new bud is forming, just look underneath the flower head and see the new bud right there by the leaflet. Basically dead head that plant and save all those old wood buds for the next season.