Repotted hydrangea - do I have to clip this down?

[MikeIL]

Hi all. My mother was in the hospital recently and someone gave her a hydrangea in a basket. The bloom had wilted and dried so I pulled the heads off and placed the remaining plant in a pot outside.

Here are two pictures of the plant.

In the first pic it's the plant in the upper left corner. Not a great shot but I wanted you to see the full thing.

The second pic is a closer shot.

Picture #1

Picture #2

I did trim it a little, but do I need to trim more? See how there are new leaves shooting out in various spots along the stem? Should I removed the old leaves?

These just bloom once a year, right? Will it just stay green for me until the fall...no more flower.

Lastly, I'm in the Chicago area. I have no basement and no indoor space for large pots. What could I do to help this through the winter? I want to keep it as a potted plant and not introduce it to my ground landscape.

 

[Flower4Yeshua]

when I repot hydrangea plants I don't take the new shoots off...this will be next years growth...you can remove the browning leaves...and dead head (remove) any blooms that may be on it that are dead...onn where to grow it I have not a clue for you....

 

[RonsGarden]

I'd plant it out in the garden in a partially sunny area.
Preferably in a spot that gets afternoon shade!