Hydrangea

This is a Hydrangea paniculata. H. paniculata cultivars are very hardy and dependable. It’s too soon to say if your shrub is dead. Over the next few weeks, check the stems for buds. They will emerge green from the brown stems.

Some hydrangeas bloom on new wood and others on old wood, and without knowing your cultivar, we can’t tell you which you have. Each needs to be pruned in different ways. When your plant blooms this year, look to see if the main flush of bloom is on the very top parts of the shrubs (new growth) or if it’s lower on the shrub (old growth). Once you know that, we can tell you how to prune your plant. For now, limit your pruning to removing old, dead branches, which you won’t be able to identify until new leaves emerge. Hopefully that will be soon!