Also, I have heard there is a way to alter flower color in hydrangeas. If this is so, could you share them with me. Hydrangeas bloom in the summer, yet turn right around and set flower buds in late summer to early fall. The past three years have been tough on our plants, and if the hydrangeas were stressed by lack of water during the flower bud setting phase, they won t bloom well. If they are pruned at the wrong time they won t bloom as well.
Hydrangeas are cane producing plants, and have a number of branches generated from the soil line.
Any pruning that is needed should be done immediately following flowering. Then simply remove some of the largest, overgrown canes close to the soil line. The pH of the soil determines flower color. Lime makes them pinker, while sulfur makes them bluer. Pruning off the spent blossoms should not affect this years blooms, provided you simply snip them off directly behind the flower head.