Garden hydrangea, spotted hydrangea, oak-leaved hydrangea and hairy hydrangea form flower buds in the summer, in the year preceding their blooming. Therefore, in winter, hydrangea flower buds may freeze over the bushes and will not bloom in the following year. The best way to prevent this from happening issecuring the hydrangea for the winter
Learn the best wayshow to protect hydrangeas for winter , what materials to use and when to start applyingwinter hydrangea protection .
How to protect hydrangeas for winter?
When to protect hydrangeas for winter?
We start securing hydrangeas for winterat the end of November. When the soil freezes to a depth of 3-4 cm, we proceed to protect the plants against large winter frosts. Covering too early will increase the temperature of the substrate, and thus encourage the plants to continue vegetation, and thus during the first stronger frost, the plants will certainly be destroyed.
Remember!Before winter covering of hydrangeas, all dry shoots damaged by diseases and pests should be removed. It is also very important not to prune he althy shoots - there will be time for that in spring.
How to protect hydrangeas for winter - cover the base of the bush with garden bark
Securing hydrangeas by mounding
The easiest and veryeffective way to protect hydrangeas for winteris mounding.Hydrangeas can be covered with mounds of conifer bark or peat bark. We spread the litter only when the substrate freezes to a depth of several centimeters, usually not earlier than in the second half of November. After spreading the bark in the spring, it forms a mulch that protects against water loss and the development of weeds.
The previously mentioned garden peat can also be used to protect the hydrangea for winter . The mounds can be additionally arranged with coniferous twigs.
Covering the hydrangea with agrotextile
Securing the hydrangea for winter with agrotextileinvolves wrapping the shrub with two or three layers of fabric and tying them with string. A white nonwoven agrotextile that is breathable to air and water is best for this purpose. In order for the covered hydrangea to look nice throughout the winter, we can additionally tie a colored ribbon on it or tie it with a colored string (example in the photo below).
In gardening stores, winter protective hoods made of agrotextile are also available. They already have a string sewn in, so the hood only needs to be pulled over the hydrangeas and tied. The agrotextile hoods come in various designs and colors.
Another solutionin securing several hydrangeas for the winterwill be to surround a group of shrubs growing in a low bed, with an agrotextile fence about 80 cm. The fence is designed to protect hydrangeas against frosty winds and blowing snow away from them.
How to protect hydrangeas for winter - wrapping with nonwoven agrotextile
How to protect hydrangeas in a pot for the winter
We start preparing for thewintering of a potted hydrangeafrom the second half of summer, when we gradually reduce watering. Move the container with the bush to the room after the leaves have finished growing and falling.
The room for the winter storage of hydrangeasdoes not have to be bright, but it is important that it is cool with a temperature of about 0 ° C, and that the air humidity is not too high. When overwintering hydrangeas, it is important to ventilate the room regularly. The bushes are watered very sparingly, but the root ball should not be completely dry.
When hibernating a hydrangea in a potit is also necessary to check regularly for the presence of pests and diseases. Once plants start growing, they need lots of light and more heat throughout the day. Outside, the hydrangea in a pot should be exposed only after the danger of frost has passed, i.e. in mid-May.
How to protect a hydrangea in a pot for the winter
If we havevarieties of hydrangeas resistant to low temperatureswe can leave them in pots outside, but it is very important to protect the pot with polystyrene foam, and the bush itself with agrotextile.Additionally, the pot can be wrapped in brown or green jute or agrotextile and decorated with a ribbon. Place the hydrangea pot against the wall, preferably in a window recess, to protect it from the wind.
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MSc Eng. Joanna Białowąs
Based on: Plant relocation. Which are we carrying and which are we covering for the winter? in: My Beautiful Garden, No. 10/2012 p. 46; Bąbelewski P., Before the frosts come … covers for plants, in: My Beautiful Garden, No. 11/2014 pp. 50-51; Bąbelewski P., Hydrangeas protected against frost, in: My Beautiful Garden, No. 11/2015 p.40. Fig. © Joanna Białowąs.
