Hydrangea - hard pruning

[KCOOPER]

Hello
I have a mature hydrangea in the garden and it is getting rather too large for the area it is in. I wanted to hard prune it this year but due to the very cold weather in March I have been unable to so far. Will I do it any harm if I do this when/if it warms up this month? I don’t want to lose it!
Thanks
Ken

[bearded bloke]

Mrs BB,hard prunes her's every year,think she is planing on doing it this weekend as the snow has now melted from around it.Think she takes it back to 3 buds each time,will ask her this evening ;-)

[KCOOPER]

Thank you BB! I think I will go for it once it warms up and hope for the best. Looking warmer for this weekend so fingers crossed!

[bearded bloke]

Asked her & forgot to post She is going to slash cut just above the second active bud rather than the first just in case here is a late hard frost,just looked & that will leave it about a foot tall.
Any with no active buds will be cut to two inches above ground level,apparently they will be dead wood so will never re-sprout.Can you tell I'm not good with shrubs

HTH

[roitelet]

I hacked, and I do mean hacked, one back last year to ground level, in MIL's garden as it was old and covering a path. It has put on new growth from the base and seems fine.

[KCOOPER]

Thanks very much for your help. Looks like I can stop worrying and give it a good cut back this weekend!

[veggiechicken]

Its about time I took the topknots off mine too. I take mine back to a healthy pair of buds, whatever level they're at, and cut out the dead wood.
Oh ........and Welcome KCooper

[Alison]

I can't stand hydrangas and the previous owner of our house had loads of them. I cut them right back one day and MEANT to dig up the remaining stumps the next week - got totally caught up with other things and the blessed things grew back with increased vigour so I had to start again the next year. Got them cut back again and didn't make the mistake of leaving the digging bit the second time