cutting back????

[Kan]

a lady I work for said that we should cut her hydrangea way back (like almost to the ground to help with blooms next year. an arborest (?) told her this...any thoughts!?

[cynthia_h]

Maybe the article on the Helpful Gardener's hydrangea care page will give you some starting points (there are photos, too):

Cynthia H.
Sunset Zone 17, USDA Zone 9

[momo]

You should definitely know what type of Hydrangea you are growing before doing any pruning, some Hydrangeas bloom on 2 year old wood so if you prune them back too much you won't get any blooms the next year.