These look like **mophead hydrangeas — Hydrangea macrophylla**. They flower mostly on **old wood**, so the key rule is: **don’t cut them hard back now**, or you may remove next year’s flowers. Your garden notes also mention cutting the hydrangeas back to **developing shoots when the weather improves**, so the main pruning should be done in **spring**, not hard in autumn/winter. ## What to do now — late September For now, I would: - **Leave most flower heads on the plant** They give some winter protection to the buds below and look good with frost. - **Only remove anything clearly dead, broken or diseased** Cut those stems back to healthy wood or to the base. - **Do not cut the strong green leafy shoots back** These are likely to carry next year’s flower buds. - **If the faded heads annoy you**, you can lightly deadhead a few by cutting just below the flower head, but avoid cutting down into the main stems. ## Main pruning — March to April In spring, when the worst frosts have passed and you can see plump green buds: 1. **Remove each old flower head** - Cut just above the first strong pair of healthy buds below the flower head. - Usually this means only taking off the flower head and a short piece of stem. 2. **Cut out dead stems** - Any stems with no swelling buds can be cut right down to the base. 3. **Thin the oldest stems** - On a mature congested plant, remove about **one quarter to one third of the oldest woody stems** at ground level. - This encourages fresh shoots from the base without sacrificing too many flowers. 4. **Shape lightly** - If stems are crossing, weak or growing into the wall/path, remove them selectively. - Avoid rounding the whole shrub over with shears. ## If they are too big If these hydrangeas have outgrown the space, renovate them gradually: - **Year 1:** remove one third of the oldest stems to the base. - **Year 2:** remove another third. - **Year 3:** finish thinning. This keeps the plant flowering while reducing size over time. A hard cut all at once is possible, but it usually means **few or no flowers the following summer**. ## After pruning In spring, give them: - A mulch of well-rotted compost or manure around the base. - A general feed such as Growmore. - Regular watering in dry spells, especially as they’re close to the brick wall where soil can dry out quickly. In short: **leave them mainly alone now, then in spring cut back to the first strong buds and remove old/dead stems from the base.** That will keep them healthy and flowering well.