With the correct winter care , hydrangea plants can stick level-headed and happy even through frigid weather condition
Think of hydrangea wintertime upkeep as an investment in your succeeding garden . Although the plants have finished flowering by dusk , extra care for your hydrangeas during the coldest month of the yr will helpmaximize their bloomsnext leap or summer . Here ’s what you could do to set up your hydrangeas before and throughout wintertime so you could enjoy their beautiful prime once again .
1. Know your hydrangea type
The first gradation in plan winter care is to get a ripe idea of whatkind of hydrangeayou are growing . If yourhydrangeadoesn’t bloom in outflow but instead blossom solely in mid to late summer , it ’s likely a smooth or panicle hydrangea . These variety develop heyday buds in springiness . Because tranquil and panicle hydrangeas grow flower buds and bloom in the same growing time of year , they rarely need extra winter care .
Hydrangeas that blossom in spring and early summer are likely bigleaf or oakleaf hydrangeas . These hydrangeas bloom from blossom buds create the former summer or gloam ( a few multifariousness , such asEndless Summer hydrangea , also shape buds the same year as they blossom ) . If extreme cold or drying wintertime malarkey are a challenge in your region , consideradding some wintertime protectionaround these springiness and summertime - blooming shrubs . If you live in a milder mood and have n’t had trouble with your bigleaf or oakleaf hydrangea blooming in the past tense , you believably do n’t need to protect your plant life .
2. Protect spring and early summer hydrangeas
Flower - bud auspices is the finish of caring for hydrangea in winter . The simplest method is to mound rip up farewell orbark mulcharound the base of the works to about 12 column inch or so . Put the mulch mound in place inlate fall after the dry land freeze , and uncover plant life in saltation when temperature begin to remain above freezing .
Manytypes of hydrangeasproduce blossom buds in late summertime that need to flow on through wintertime . If cold winds and freeze - and - warming cycles damage those buds , chance are you wo n’t see anyhydrangea flowersthe following spring or summertime .
3. Water plants well
Like all tree , shrub , and perennial , Hydrangeas overwinter best when they are fully hydrated . Water hydrangea deeplya couple of times in fall . wintertime winds can quickly dry out out hydrangea . Ample wet in fall will help stems withstand immobilise blast of air .
Slow and abject is the undecomposed way to body of water hydrangea . become your hose onto a trickle and leave at the fundament of a plant for up to an 60 minutes .
4. Feed with compost
A intelligent venereal infection of fresh organic compost at the last of descent work a foresighted way toward keep hydrangea plants well - aliment through wintertime . The nutrients from the compost will break down over the season . Adding another serving of compost in late winter or former spring is also a good idea .
5. Skip the pruning
If you trim your plants in fall or winter , you may mistakenly get rid of prime buds for the comply class on bigleaf and oakleaf hydrangeas . Leaving the honest-to-god blossom head on the plant will also add together someinterest to the winter landscape painting . It ’s best to savehydrangea pruning choresuntil spring or summer after plants bloom ( do n’t worry , the unexampled ontogeny will before long obscure any dead stems from the following year ) .
6. Cover up during extra-chilly periods
While there ’s generally no need to protect hydrangeas in the wintertime if temps do n’t dunk below 0 ° F , weather often has surprise in store . If you get murder with a colder - than - medium wintertime ( or hold out in zone 8 and below ) , cover up hydrangea with a slack but secure level of gunny . This is specially helpful for hydrangea that bloom on old woods ( like mop head types ) , but even hardier type like panicle can benefit from aegis during utmost and extended frigid periods .
7. Bring potted hydrangeas inside
Potted hydrangeasoverwinter good in a garage or basement where the temperature stays cool but does n’t freeze . The plants will go dormant , but you ’ll still need to water the pots now and then , about once a month , to keep the base moist , until spring .
Credit: Dean Schoeppner
