How do I cut back hydrangeas?

[sammac]

Have a few bushes with big brown dead head flowers in the front but am frightened to cut them back as dh did it 2 years ago and we got no flowers that summer! So what do I do? Cut back half, prune right back? Do nothing?

Cut back the dead flower heads to just above a healthy looking bud.I did mine last week & have done it the same way for 8 years-never lost the flowers yet.

same as mirage... works every time although wait another couple of weeks... cant remember the logic, but read that this should be done mid feb onwards

Spod you are right about waiting-I think it is case there is a hard frost that shrivel the buds-the dead flower heads protect them a bit.

I am just too impatient to wait-plus our hydranga is impossible to kill,even the builders didn't finish it off when they hacked at it to get the fence in.