Trim hydrangeas when some growth on old branches

Question

Below is my hydrangeas that was way over due

I didn’t trim it until Feb 15

The darker branches have some growth on top of it. I thought those are dead branches.

Also the whiter color branches are dead right? I assume.

Answer 1

The white branches may not necessarily be dead - in the UK, we usually wait till April to prune this type of Hydrangea back, when there is a lot more growth starting all over (but not to the point where the growth is enough to cover up all the stems) than yours is currently showing. By then, it's easier to tell what's dead and what isn't. Most of the UK is Zone 8 and as far as I recall your USDA zone is 8. I'd suggest you wait a bit longer... otherwise, you can sometimes tell the white stems are dead because they snap off easily with your fingers.