Winter winds and cold temperatures both have the potential to be fatal. This catch-all phrase simply denotes plant dying over the winter. The plant may perish due to the low winter temperatures or from drying out brought on by the winds.
Since hydrangeas become dormant in the winter, winter damage to hydrangeas can not become apparent until spring. If your hydrangea doesn’t produce any green shoots in March or April, it could be your first indication of harm.
Protecting the shrubs from winter’s wrath is necessary to avoid winter kill in hydrangeas, which includes the young buds on the plants. Laying down a heavy layer of mulch over hydrangeas’ root zone is a wonderful place to start with winterizing them. For this, straw works wonderfully.
Use a wire cage to enclose the shrub or construct a cage around it using sturdy posts and chicken wire for even better protection. Wrap the cage in burlap or insulating material. Additionally, you should give the plant a lot of water right before the ground freezes.
When should I prune my oakleaf hydrangea?
The oakleaf hydrangea is a deciduous, blooming shrub that works well for foundation planting, mass planting, and borders. Pink, light purple, and creamy white blooms blossom in the summer and fall. While only requiring a little trim once a year, this hydrangea doesn’t require extensive pruning. Oakleaf hydrangeas flower on growth from the previous season, so prune in the fall or the first few weeks of winter immediately following flowering.
How should wintertime oakleaf hydrangeas be cared for?
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.
Should I trim my hydrangea to prepare for winter?
If and when you prune is the key to happy, healthy hydrangea flowers. Of course, fertilizing and offering the ideal environment have a lot to recommend them. However, if you don’t prune properly, your efforts will be in vain. Deadheading is not the same as trimming. Pruning refers to more drastic cutting to preserve shape or remove dead growth. However, feel free to discard spent blossoms or cut fresh ones to use in arrangements.
Hydrangeas can bloom on either fresh wood or old wood, depending on the species. The wood from which they blossom determines whether and when to prune.
Old wood-blooming hydrangeas do not require pruning and benefit from it. They’ll blossom more abundantly the next season if you leave them alone. But feel free to deadhead or gently thin. Just keep in mind that while new growth may appear, it won’t bloom until the following season. In our region, four different species blossom on aged wood. Additionally, they are not limited to the hues displayed here.
Climb using suckers. On your wall or trellis, resist the desire to remove the dormant growth.
The flower heads are more conical in appearance, and the leaves are large and resemble oak leaves. It’s a pleasant surprise for a hydrangea when its leaves turn reddish-orange in the fall.
They are very comparable to lacecap types, but smaller and with more compact leaves.
Pruning should be done in late winter or early spring on hydrangeas that bloom on new wood. Trim back to two feet to prune to shape. The next season’s blossoms are produced by strong, fresh growth that is encouraged by trimming. In our region, there are two types that bloom on fresh wood. They are also not restricted to the colors displayed.
Oakleaf variants are not included in cone-shaped blooms. Keep the blooms on throughout the winter to provide interest; even dried out, they are quite lovely.
regarded as a wild kind. They often have smaller blooms and leaves than Bigleaf variants and are completely white. They enjoy full sun and can grow very tall.
Knowing whether or when to prune now will help you avoid the disappointment of a hydrangea that doesn’t blossom. Don’t forget that a robust shrub will produce more gorgeous blossoms if it has well-draining soil and good organic fertilizer. Come on in, and we’ll show you where to go to develop your green thumb.
When do oak leaf hydrangeas need to be pruned?
When you say the word “hydrangea,” most people immediately picture the Hydrangea macrophylla mophead and lacecap varieties. These magnificent bushes are highly well-liked and frequently blossom in summer landscapes across the nation. The oakleaf species of hydrangea (H. quercifolia), a less popular variety with a distinctive appearance and texture, is a hydrangea. Oakleaf hydrangeas also produce enormous, spectacular flower clusters, much like the mopheads and lacecaps. However, that is about where the similarities between the oakleaf hydrangea and its relatives end.
The oakleaf hydrangea differs from the other members of the genus in a number of important ways.
- Flowering behaviorOakleaf hydrangeas produce inflorescences, or long, cone-shaped clusters of flowers (flower heads consisting of a group or cluster of flowers arranged on a stem). The inflorescences are made up of both conspicuously fertile and ostentatious infertile blooms. The mophead hydrangeas, on the other hand, feature globe-shaped clusters of sizable florets. The flattened bloom heads of lacecap hydrangeas are flanked by larger male flowers and smaller female flowers.
- Foliage
Oakleaf hydrangea foliage is big (4 to 12 long and wide, depending on the selection), lobed, and coarsely textured, in contrast to the leaves of H. macrophylla species, which tends to be moderately sized, oval or heart shaped, and smooth textured. The botanical name of this shrub, quercus folium, is derived from the Latin words quercus (oak) and folium, which describe the foliage as having a form resembling that of an oak leaf (leaf).
- Origin The 23 identified species of hydrangea that make up the genus are primarily Asian in origin. The smooth hydrangea (H. arborescens) and oakleaf hydrangea are the only two exceptions that are indigenous to this nation. All of the states in the southeastern region of the United States, from North Carolina south to Florida and west to Louisiana, are home to the native oakleaf hydrangea.
- Fall hues
The only plant in the genus that has any discernible fall leaves colors is the oakleaf hydrangea. The oakleaf hydrangea is still fully covered with gorgeous deep crimson to purple leaves in November and December, when the majority of other deciduous plants have lost their foliage. These leaves last well into the winter.
- cultural prerequisites In general, all hydrangeas prefer moist, well-drained soil. The oakleaf species can endure drier soil and more sun than other species in the genus, albeit, once established.
A rounded, deciduous shrub with a mounding form from the ground up is an oakleaf hydrangea. Large clusters of blooms are supported by strong, sturdy stems above typically dark green on top and yellowish green underneath foliage. The stems have appealing tan or cinnamon colored bark that falls off in small pieces. This understory shrub is typically found growing in the wild beside streams, on forested hillsides, and in the shade of mixed hardwood trees. It is an ornamental plant that thrives in a natural or groomed woodland setting that is somewhat shaded, particularly with morning sun and afternoon shade. Some varieties are hardy to zone 5, and it is hardy from zones 6 through 9.
On the wood from the previous year, magnificent clusters of creamy white or pink flowers bloom, depending on the cultivar. While just a few varieties produce double flowers, the majority of them do. The flowers are produced in inflorescences that are 6 to 12 inches long and 3 to 5 inches broad, and they last for at least four to six weeks before turning tan or deep pink. Through the autumn, the blossoms provide interest to the plant by drying in situ.
The list that follows, while not exhaustive, describes a variety of oakleaf hydrangea choices, as well as their typical sizes and floral arrangements. While a few varieties can reach heights of 12 feet or more, the majority of cultivars are medium-sized, with an average height of 5 to 8 feet. There are several compact cultivars that grow to a height of 4 feet or less and with proportionately smaller leaf and flower clusters available for gardeners with tiny gardens.
- 12′ tall by 12′ wide is “Alice.” This is a wise choice for bigger gardens that have the space for a shrub of this size. The enormous white blossoms eventually turn tan in the late summer after maturing to rosy pink. The State Botanical Garden of Georgia’s gold medal award for 2000 went to “Alice.”
- Alison is 8 to 10 feet tall. Despite being comparable to “Alice,” this cultivar is a touch wider and has inflorescences that are held more upright. By the end of the summer, the huge white bloom clusters have turned pink and are now tan.
- Harmony is 10′ broad and tall. This variety has clusters of enormous, many, double, sterile blooms. Branches can bow under their weight. This cultivar, which is extraordinarily lovely but not frequently seen in nurseries, may be a challenge due to the flowers’ weight.
- 6′ tall by 6′ wide is “Amethyst.” Dr. Dirr created a small cultivar whose blossoms change from white to rose. As they become older, “Alice” and “Amethyst” both develop extremely deep pink inflorescences.
- 5 to 6′ tall by 5 to 6′ wide is the “Gatsby Gal.” This, along with the next two choices, are from Proven Winners’ 2016 release of the Gatsby series. Flowers on the shrub ‘Gatsby Gal’ are upright, giving the impression that they are larger than the shrub’s relatively small size.
- Gatsby Moon is 6 to 8 feet tall and 6 to 8 feet wide. The inflorescences are composed of closely spaced, extremely full double flowers similar to those on “Harmony,” as previously mentioned. Instead of turning pink with age, the petals become white to green.
- Gatsby Pink is 6 to 8 feet tall and 6 to 8 feet wide. The enormous, protracted flower heads quickly transition from white to a deep shade of pastel pink.
- Queen of Hearts measures 6.5″ high by 9″ broad. This cultivar was created by the shrub breeding program of the U.S. National Arboretum through the hybridization of the cultivars “Snow Queen” and “Pee Wee,” the same cross that also gave rise to the cultivar “Ruby Slippers” that is detailed below. The blossoms start out white and gradually turn a rich pink hue.
- 6′ tall by 6′ wide is the “Snow Queen.” ‘Snow Queen’ can withstand brighter conditions and retains its single-flowered inflorescences more upright than other varieties. The 2012 Royal Horticultural Society Award of Garden Merit was given to it.
- 7′ tall by 7′ broad is “Snowflake.” This cultivar, like the others that won the Royal Horticultural Society’s Award of Garden Merit in 2012, has a longer bloom season. It has double hose-in-hose flowers on very long (15 inch) spikes that stay on the plant for a very long time. The blossoms progressively turn pink as they deteriorate, then light tan.
- Little Honey measures 4′ high by 5′ broad. The golden yellow spring foliage, a sport of “Pee Wee,” gradually darkens to chartreuse green in June and then becomes red in the fall. For optimal results, give it morning sun and afternoon shade. Compared to other oakleaf hydrangea species, the white blooms’ 5 to 6-inch long, cone-shaped inflorescences are diminutive.
- ‘Munchkin’
4.5′ broad by 3′ high. The shrub breeding program at the U.S. National Arboretum in McMinnville, Tennessee, created Munchkin. It is the perfect option for modest home landscapes because of its compact form and dense plant habit. The flowers start out white and progressively change to a medium pink color.
- Pee Wee is usually 5 feet tall and 4 feet wide, but they can get bigger. Until quite late in the growing season, this upright, compact variety retains its deep burgundy and purple leaves before losing them. The leaves typically have 3 to 7 lobes and are on average 5 inches long. In the late summer, the flowers become tan.
- “Ruby Slippers” are 3.5″ high and 5″ broad. This mounding, semi-dwarf cultivar was created by the shrub breeding program of the U.S. National Arboretum through the crossbreeding of the cultivars “Snow Queen” and “Pee Wee.” The flowers begin as white but quickly change to a delicate pink hue, which later in the summer intensifies to rosy red.
- Sikes Dwarf is 2 to 4 feet tall and 3 to 4 feet wide. This compact collection works well in container gardens as well as smaller areas. The sterile florets in the flower clusters, which gradually turn light pink as they ripen, conceal the fertile blooms. ‘Sikes Dwarf’ has an asymmetrical spherical shape and an open plant habit.
The soil that Oakleaf hydrangea prefers has a pH of 5.06.5 and should be organic, fertile, well-drained, and slightly acidic. Once planted, it is drought hardy, though it does need water in extremely dry conditions. Effective drainage is crucial. Although the plant prefers moist soil, wet feet are intolerable.
Sunlight
In either complete or partial shade, this shrub can flourish. But it functions better when it receives at least a half-worth day’s of sunlight or more, which results in a better floral show, stronger stems, and more vibrant autumn foliage. Some varieties can tolerate a sunnier location. On the other hand, plants under heavy shadow will produce fewer blossoms but bigger leaves.
In general, Oakleaf Hydrangea trimming is little to nonexistent. Pruning should be done soon after the shrub flowers if it needs to be shaped or shrunk. In late summer, this shrub produces bloom buds for the following year. Or put another way, it grows on aged wood. Any other time of the year will result in the loss of the flowers for the following year when pruned.
Pests The only insects that occasionally harm this plant are spider mites and aphids. Deer will nonetheless munch on this plant, especially the sensitive, young spring foliage, so either use deer repellent or put up a physical barrier to protect it.
Propagation
Cuttings of the shrub’s stems can be used to multiply it. Layering is another method of plant propagation that can be used because the branches are low to the earth.
When used as a solitary specimen, a backdrop for smaller shrubs, bulbs, or perennials, a part of a mixed border, a deciduous hedge, or as part of a mass planting, oakleaf hydrangea is a multipurpose shrub that is bold yet graceful.
If there is a drawback to oakleaf hydrangeas, it is that a cautious gardener can find their enormous, rough-textured foliage intimidating. Rest certain that the foliage complements plants with smaller leaves extremely well. For instance, the contrast created by evergreens’ finer needles or scaly branches is appealing. Boxwoods’ smaller, more compact leaves and more formal round shape contrast nicely with the more relaxed shape of oakleaf hydrangeas. Oakleaf hydrangeas go nicely with taller ferns like ostrich or cinnamon ferns as well as shorter grass-like plants like liriope.
Easy-care Oakleaf hydrangea is particularly useful in the landscape since it provides year-round appeal. It has an immediate effect in the spring when its striking foliage first appears. Large, persistent clusters of creamy white or pink blooms stand out against the dark green leaves in the summer. Many cultivars develop to a medium pink or deep rose color over time. The oakleaf hydrangea especially shines in the fall with its deep, burgundy/purple foliage that lasts all the way through the winter. The pale brown or brownish dried flower heads provide more appeal. The tan bark’s exfoliation adds a new tactile dimension to the snowy scene in winter.