Reviewed by Asher Syed for Readers' Favorite

Pruning a hydrangea begins long before the first cut, because the shrub’s identity determines where its next flowers are forming. Lorraine B. Ballato's Hydrangea Pruning guides readers from identification to the appropriate pruning moment, explaining how buds on last year’s stems follow a different calendar from flowers produced on current growth. Once that distinction is understood, the plant becomes a record of the season, with each stem revealing whether a cut will preserve future flowering. The same principle shapes every decision that follows, since a healthy hydrangea may need little intervention while an overgrown specimen can be renewed gradually according to its natural cycle. By connecting pruning time to flower development, Hydrangea Pruning gives gardeners a working method for approaching any hydrangea before the pruners touch its stems.

In Hydrangea Pruning, Lorraine B. Ballato turns horticultural knowledge into an inviting lesson shaped by decades of observation. Her discussion of apical dominance captures the quality of her teaching, since the movement of auxin through a reblooming hydrangea gives deadheading an intelligible rationale tied to another flush of flowers. She uses a conversational tone to make that science accessible in language a gardener can recall upon entering the garden. Her reading of the Royal Horticultural Society panicle trial shows how she treats published research as a starting point for local observation. Her guidance has the feel of an apprenticeship with a gardener whose long practice has refined the way technical instruction reaches the reader. This a practical guide that gives hydrangea enthusiasts an informed companion for many seasons spent among their plants.