Here is professional guidance on how to put hydrangeas to bed for the winter season from guest bloggers Megan Nichols and Jessie Jacobson of Tonkadale Greenhouse in Minnetonka, Minnesota. (They may have more hydrangea trees and shrubs in their zip code than almost anywhere else in the United States, so they are aware!)
The temperature has dropped, and autumnal symbols can be seen everywhere. The garden needs to be put to bed soon. Hydrangeas reward us with large, stunning, and prodigious blooms all season long. You may say that they are givers. It’s time to return the favor now. It’s time to tuck the hydrangeas in with kisses and wishes for sweaty dreams.
Here in Minnesota, our moods can fluctuate as drastically as the unpredictably harsh winter weather extremes, snowfall, and freeze/thaw cycles. Despite the fact that many hydrangeas are regarded as hardy, all of this can confuse them. To survive the winter and come back bigger and better the next year, they require some care. Although hydrangeas cultivated in warmer areas don’t need as much post-season primping as those grown in our zone, there isn’t a single thing that wouldn’t appreciate a little tender loving care right now.
Utilize these suggestions to get the most out of your hydrangeas so that you can be the one to present at this time next season!
(Is pruning in order? No and yes. Here is our recommendation for which hydrangeas should be pruned right away and which should wait until spring.)
Don’t Stop Watering
Make a commitment! I shall water my hydrangeas till the earth freezes solid, you declare while raising your right hand. really good Hydrangeas are thirsty plants by nature, so it’s essential to give them regular, deep watering. We don’t need to get all linguistically nerdy right now, but their name literally means “hydration.” Winter’s cool, dry winds completely drain the moisture from the vegetation, and hydrangeas don’t use lip balm. It need not be heated in order to be dry!
If a freeze is not a concern where you live, water deeply but sparingly during the winter depending on how much rain you get.
This is how: Making a small hole in the side of a 5-gallon bucket, filling it with water, and placing it at the base of the plant while it slowly drips out of the bucket is one method. Another option is to lay your hose at the base of the plant for about an hour with the water turned on to a gentle drip.
Give Them One Last Hearty Meal
Composting your hydrangea beds in the fall will give them a boost for the upcoming growing season. Everyone feels better after a full night’s sleep and a filling breakfast. This also applies to hydrangeas. After a lengthy winter’s hibernation, they will be ravenous for some nice compost. Compost can decompose during the winter if it is used now, making nutrients easily accessible in spring. A few inches of compost is advisable even in regions without a deep cold. Only compost is being discussed here! Don’t give your hydrangeas fertilizers that are high in nitrogen because this can encourage them to produce new foliage growth.
This is how: Before laying down mulch in colder climates, top dress the area with compost, well-aged manure, or other organic material after the ground has frozen. This organic fertilizer, which is rich in nutrients, will decompose over the winter, making nutrients available to the plant in the spring. Apply compost in the late fall or early winter in zones that are warmer.
Mulch Matters
Mulching helps keep moisture in and weeds out in warmer climates while shielding the crown and roots of your hydrangeas from harsh winter temperatures in colder climates. Snow serves as a natural insulator if everything goes as it should. Plants suffer during strange winters with little snowfall and extreme temperature changes. Apply a thick layer of mulch around the plant’s base to offer hydrangeas the best chance of flourishing. While decorative mulch is useful, straw, marsh hay, or dead leaves are suggested instead.
This is how: Apply a 6–8 layer of mulch once the ground has frozen (or late fall or early winter in zones with milder winters). This shields plants from the heave-ho of springtime freeze/thaw cycles, which can yank them out of the ground. Inviting mice to make this their snug winter home, causing rotting and illness, or tricking the plant into believing it’s time to bud, are all consequences of mulching too early. Be patient; you don’t have to do things early simply because your neighbors are.
Keep Them Cozy
The amount of winter cold determines whether or not hydrangeas require protection. Winter protection is not required in zone 7 if the air temperature stays above zero degrees. Wrap or totally cover barely hardy hydrangeas in chilly areas. This is crucial for plants that bloom on old wood, such hydrangeas with mop heads and large leaves (Hydrangea macrophylla). The most recent types of mop head/big leaf hydrangeas, however, bloom on both fresh and old wood, so it’s important to keep that in mind. In their favor and ours! Hardier hydrangea varieties like the paniculata and arborescens don’t often require additional winter care, although really low temperatures might cause its limbs to die back. Consider covering if a colder than usual winter is forecast.
This is how: Wrap plants loosely in a few layers of burlap, making sure to tie it off with strong twine. Making a mulch mountain and covering the majority of the plant is an additional choice. Smaller, newly planted specimens respond well to this technique.
There’s Still Time To Plant!
The first three varieties of hydrangeas can be grown here in Zone 4; oak leaf hydrangeas can also be grown in warmer climates (zones 5 to 9). The optimal time to plant shrubs is in the fall. Just make sure to do all of the aforementioned things, including watering and mulching.
Here are some of our favorites that you can plant now for stunning blooms the following spring.
Panicle Hydrangeas
These late blooming hydrangeas, sometimes known as PeeGee hydrangeas (summer into early fall). They are covered in elongated, conical flower heads that emerge white or green and blush into pinks and peaches as the season goes on.
At what point should I cover my hydrangeas for the winter?
Hydrangeas in potsWinter Care Bring potted plants indoors before the first frost for the greatest hydrangea winter protection. They can stay outside and be protected by covering the entire pot and plant if they are too heavy to transport.
How should a hydrangea be wrapped?
If your hydrangeas are native to a cold area, the weather in late fall is ideal for them to harden off. You may also use this time to get them ready for the next winter.
Depending on the type of hydrangea you have and where it resides will determine exactly what you do. The good news is that your hydrangeas that bloom on old wood are the only ones you really need to be concerned about. Since August, the plants’ flower buds have been developing, and it is these that you need to guard.
In general, the flower buds of climbing and oakleaf hydrangeas are more resistant to winter damage than those of bigleaf plants. My zone 5 gardens’ oakleaf and climbing hydrangeas have blossomed extensively without any protection when my bigleaf hydrangeas have experienced winterkill.
All of this boils down to one plant species: bigleaf hydrangeas, which require your assistance (macrophylla). It’s the troublemaker, I call it.
Make an A-Frame for Protection
In some situations, snow can act as a shield, but when it is heavy and wet, it can also break and obliterate the stems. An A-frame to shunt off the snow is one option to think about in light of this. It still permits snow to accumulate at the plant’s base, which can act as a strong insulator. You may either buy one or construct an A-Frame like the one in the picture using a scrap pallet. Online, there are several DIY blueprints available.
By building a temporary windbreak of some kind, you can shield your plant. The delicate flower buds of the hydrangeamacrophylla are dried up by the chilly winter winds, which kill them.
Wrap Hydrangeas for Insulation
For insulation, many people wrap their plants. Making your plants believe they are in a warmer growing zone is the goal. Use a tomato cage or construct one out of burlap, chicken wire, and garden fleece and fill it loosely with leaves. To add even more insulation, you can bubble wrap the cage’s exterior. I’ve seen some constructions that have a Styrofoam cover that has been trimmed to fit the structure and attached to the top using wire or twist ties. Depending on how much defense you believe you require.
Some lovers use a sizable plastic leaf bag with a closed top, loosely filled with leaves, and no internal framework. However, keep in mind that any plastic has the capacity to trap moisture, and that heavy snowfall can topple the zipped bag and your plant.
When you wrap a plant, it’s crucial that the protection is properly removed in the spring. When there is no chance of a late-season frost, do it on a cloudy day. Keep in mind that the plant’s hibernation may have been broken beneath the leaves, so be cautious around the fragile buds. For a few days, you might need to give the plant artificial shade as it gets used to the bright sunlight.
Confession Time:
Time for a sincere admission: I no longer engage in any of this. I couldn’t handle all of this old-wood blooming angst. I gave away every single one of my old wood hydrangeamacrophyllas because I wanted to simplify my life. Newer, more bud-hardy hydrangeaserrata varieties and reblooming cultivars also entered the market. Voila! I still receive flowers even when old man winter gives me a terrible hand, albeit a little later than June. Additionally, I believe the more recent imports are gorgeous and superior plants in every way. You always have the option.