Hydrangea: can I prune now?
Answer
Great question! The answer is: it depends on which kind of hydrangea you have. The most common types, the showy "mopheads" and "lace caps" bloom on old wood and should not be pruned until AFTER they flower. So don't prune them now, or you will be cutting off the flower buds.
The only ones that can be pruned now are the the large tree-like panicle types (often called PeeGee) that bloom late in the summer, and the native arborescence types, known as Annabelles. These hare the huge, white headed shrubs that bloom before the mopheads. These can be cut almost to the ground to help keep them from flopping.
To be safe, wait until after flowering for all types.
Happy growing season!