Pruning Annabelle Hydrangea Higher this Winter

I decided to prune my Annabelle hydrangea a little higher up this winter, hoping the woody growth from last year will help support the stalks in the wind. It's a bit of a trade off, because although the new stems will be taller and therefore higher in the breeze, the base of support is woody and stronger so maybe they won't blow over quite so much. The new buds should also promote a bushier appearance (in theory). I'll check back in this spring and see if my plan worked. In the meantime, my dogs do love chewing on the twigs sticking out of the ground!

Hydrangea arborescens 'Annabelle' cut a little higher up, above the 2nd set of buds on each stem

Hydrangea arborescens 'Annabelle' pruned and standing in snow

Here's a look back at how low I pruned them last year, you can see that they only have 2 buds per stem because I chopped them all the way to the ground. We'll see if they bush out a bit more this year.