How ruthless can I be with hydrangeas?

[Cathpot]

I have a bed of hydrangeas which I normally leave the flower heads on through the winter then cut them off to the first pair of leaves in spring. This year I need to do much more drastic pruning because the bushes are getting too big. I was wondering when to do it- in the spring but just cut back much further? Will I damage the flowering next year or can I really hack them back?

Prune in the spring, down to any pair of leaf buds. They can be the last at 2ft or the first at 6ins on any branch.
The shrub will sprout and bloom from there.

Mine are old and leggy and sparse. If i drastically pruned them would they recover? I know id lose flowers the next year but would they recover after that??

I hacked one backed up the ground near as last year and it still grew back to over 6ft.

This year I hacked it back and dug it up and moved it. I'll report back.

My hydrangea hasn't flowered this year. I bought it last year and it's grown well but no flowers...... What have I done wrong??

Thank you! You made me laugh miaow. I didn't used to like them myself either but I inherited these from the last owners and while I'm still not crazy about them as a bush they are really nice as cut flowers. I've got pale blue ones so that probably helps

I will go all badass on them and see what happens

I love hydrangeas. I buy them every year in pots then plant them in the garden and they never do much!

Cant believe you non lovers have so much success!!

Treat them mean Happydays

The flower on old wood, Geography, so hopefully it'll flower next year.

I have a 5ft by 5ft one. I'm taking it to 2ft by 2ft when flowering stops as it is squashing too many things and I don't mind if it struggles to fight back.

Like Happydays, I've bought them twice and managed to kill them. I love hydrangeas

I think they like a dark and damp corner with gentle sunlight rather than pots, if mine are anything to go by...

I hoping very as I've just bought a white expensive one and when I went to plant it it fell apart - hardly any root ball!

I should have taken it back but hoping it survives and I'll get 4 out of it

I inherited one when I moved house. Leggy, spindly, browning leaves, trying to flower and failing, looked dead...

A month ago I chopped all stems back to 6" long ready to take it to the dump.

It's sprouted beautiful new green leaves everywhere!!! Indestructible.

Similar, had a really boring one, hacked it to bits, it LOVED it, the old masochist. Buying a new trendy cone one next year, predicted to die immediately