The scorching mid-Atlantic heat of the last month has caused my hydrangeas to look like they have been singed.
This shrub is the first to fade in the heat of the garden - and the first to perk up after a nice long drink. But despite my best efforts, the blossoms and the leaves actually look crispy.
It is a shame because the hydrangeas held such promise this spring. Forty inches of snow and the absence of a late freeze made for lots of growth, and lots of blossoms. Hundreds, as a matter of fact.
Now those blossoms are spent and it is time to think about pruning. Only the cone-shaped flowers on my oakleaf hydrangea, now a dramatic bronze color, are worth preserving.
There is always confusion around the pruning of hydrangeas because you can actually cut away next year's flowers.
Tim Wood, of Proven Winners, gives this advice in Horticulture magazine.
Pruning, Wood writes, is especially important for young plants, even at the expense of flowers during those first couple of years. Here is his advice for young plants.
Not sure what kind of hydrangea you have? Consult our photo gallery.