My neighbor's one throwaway comment changed how I prune my roses

My neighbor told me my hydrangeas looked like I was mad at them, which was fair since I was just whacking them down to the ground every fall. Turns out you're supposed to leave the stems so the new growth has something to sit on, and now they actually flower instead of just making leaves all summer. The old guy down the street knows more than the whole garden center staff combined, and it stings a little. Funny how one sentence from some retired dude with dirt under his nails beats six years of me guessing. Mine just yells at me about my lawn, so at least yours had useful feedback.