Once the leave fall off my Hydrangea bushes, is it OK too trim the stem at ground level?

whack em. won't hurt a thing.

Once the leave fall off my Hydrangea bushes, is it OK too trim the stem at ground level?
If you want flowers next year, don't cut down the stems to ground level; only remove dead flower heads after flowering or in March. Remove weak and damaged shoots in February or March. Thin out two or three-year-old flowered shoots to promote strong new shoots. Cut back the previous year's flowering shoots by half to strong buds.
Reply:you can but your bush won't be very big next year and you won't have as many blooms.
Reply:You can prune back the branches that had flowers those that didnt dont cut. I am not sure about triming to ground level.
Reply:do not cut anything from them they are storing food for next year when the new growth starts to grow next spring then you can cut the old growth hope this helps I have hydrangeas myself
Reply:Don't do it! the hydrangea only blooms flowers on the new growth from the year before. If you need to prune, take only long whole branches from underneath, and leave the last years branches in the center. If you cut the Hydrangea to the ground, it will not have any flowers next year.
Reply:Hydrangeas can become overgrown. The rule of thumb is to never prune away more than one third of the plant in any given year. If you are prepared to sacrifice some blooms in the coming year, go for it.