How to winterize hydrangeas
How to winterize hydrangeas – to protect them from the cold
Once you know how to winterize hydrangeas, you can protect your prized shrubs from the elements and enjoy their glorious blooms returning year after year.
With their colorful and showy flowers, hydrangeas make striking garden ideas for beds and borders, and wonderful container displays, so you wouldn't want to lose these floral stars during a cold snap through being unprepared.
Include winterizing hydrangeas in your list of winter garden ideas to ensure that, come the arrival of spring, your treasured plants spring back into life.
'Hydrangeas can usually withstand the winter temperatures but only if cared for properly. Ideally, you want to start caring for your hydrangeas in fall,' explains Chris Bonnett, founder of Gardening Express .
(Image credit: Leigh Clapp)
How to winterize hydrangeas – do they all need protection?
Whether you need to winterize your hydrangeas depends on how cold the weather can get where you live.
'Hydrangeas that are exposed to winter temperatures of no less than 5-10ºF (-15 to -12ºC) do not need winter protection,' explains Chris Link, co-owner of Plant Addicts .
If, however, you live in a zone where winter temperatures typically dip below this level for prolonged periods, and you are growing hydrangeas, then an element of protection may be required.
'Hydrangeas that bloom on old wood should be protected in colder climates – zone 6 and below, ' Chris adds. This includes Hydrangea Macophylla – mopheads and lacecaps.
'Hydrangeas that bloom on new wood, however – which includes Hydrangea paniculata and smooth hydrangeas – generally don't need any additional protection,' Chris advises.
(Image credit: National Trust)
Should hydrangeas be cut back for winter?
You can, winterize hydrangeas by cutting them back to try to get rid of any dead branches – this is something that can be added to your list when planning a winter garden.
There are various methods for pruning hydrangeas, and whether you should cut back hydrangeas in the fall or leave them untouched until the following spring really depends on the type of hydrangeas you have and where you live.
'In zone 7, I keep hydrangeas untouched through the winter and cut them back to the second or third bud from the end of each stem,' says David Angelov, founder of Plant Parenthood garden design and education in Massachusetts.
'Take out all of the previous year's dead stems, up to 3-4 inches from the base. This ensures you're not cutting live wood in the fall.
'You should not cut hydrangeas back all the way every year, arbitrarily, or you won't have flowers on those hydrangeas that flower on old wood – the stems that came up the previous year,' he adds.
If you do choose to cut back hydrangeas before the winter, then 'aim to do this before the first frosts. If you wait too long, the open cuttings from the dead branches could freeze and ruin your whole plant,' explains Chris Bonnett.
Do so at the same time as you are cutting back other plants, such as the method you would adopt for overwintering geraniums.
(Image credit: Getty Images/ Olga Seifutdinova)
How do you prepare hydrangeas for winter?
To prepare hydrangeas for winter in colder areas, add a thick layer of mulch around the base of the plants to protect the crown and roots from freezing temperatures.
'It is also important to properly insulate the hydrangea – you can use a fleece for this or create a frame around the plant and fill this with things like pine cones and leaves,' explains Chris Bonnett.
To do this:
- Create a frame around the hydrangea plant using branches, 'or if you want something more sturdy that can withstand snowfall, then use chicken wire instead,' says Chris.
- Next add in some insulating materials into the enclosure, such as oak leaves, pine cones, straw or similar.
- 'Be careful not to break the tips off any of the branches as this is where the flower buds have already formed,' says Chris Link.
- 'This frame or cover must be left on the hydrangea all winter and into the spring until the threat of the last frost has passed.'
(Image credit: Leigh Clapp)
How to winterize hydrangeas in pots
Hydrangeas can make one of the best winter plants for pots and borders because, if you leave the flower heads in place, they look ethereally beautiful right through to pruning in spring.
'Any types of hydrangeas growing in pots typically need a little extra protection in colder climates,' says Chris Link.
Try to move the pots into an area where they will be less exposed to freezing temperatures, such as a greenhouse or summerhouse, if possible.
Where the pots can not be moved under cover, one method is to 'place the pot in a bag and fill around the pot with leaves and other garden material, then gently tie the bag together at the top of the pot,' advises Jenny Rydebrink CEO of Gardenize .
'I place the pot in a sheltered part of the garden and then in spring, when the sun and warmth return, I unpack the pot and start to give the plant water and fertilizer again,' she adds.
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How To Winterize Hydrangeas
Depending on the type you have and where you garden, you may not have to do much. Read on to learn the steps.
I confess, I don’t do much to prepare my hydrangeas for winter.
Most bloom on new wood, which means flower buds form in the spring and don’t need to overwinter.
Or they’re the re-blooming types of hydrangeas, which form flower buds on old and new wood. That means if flower buds are killed off over the winter, ones form on the new wood. So I’ll still get some blooms, just later in the year.
I don’t even prune my hydrangeas in the fall. But if your hydrangeas depend on overwintering, you might need to do a little more work to prepare them for the coldest season.
Can Hydrangeas Survive Frost?
Yes. Some varieties are hardy only to U.S. Department of Agriculture Plant Hardiness Zone 6, while many others can survive the colder winters of Zone 4. Even a potted, blooming hydrangea from a florist can survive outside with proper care.
Most of these florist-grown types are big-leaf hydrangeas, Hydrangea macrophylla. They can be hardened off by gradually exposing them to outside conditions in the spring or early summer, then planted in the garden. They’re generally hardy enough to grow in USDA Zones 6 through 8. I’d even try growing them in USDA Zones 4 and 5 with some winter protection.
Why Winterize Hydrangeas?
Most garden hydrangeas don’t need much extra attention before winter. Most don’t even need to be pruned in the fall because their flower buds form in the spring.
The exception to this is Hydrangea macrophylla. Depending on the type of flowers produced, these are commonly called mophead or lacetop hydrangeas. They form flower buds in late summer and may need winter protection to ensure they flower the following year.
When To Winterize Hydrangeas
In USDA Zones 5 and colder, begin winterizing big leaf hydrangeas once temperatures turn consistently cold. Depending on where you live, this could be as late as the end of November.
Tools and Materials for Winterizing Hydrangeas
If you need to protect your big leaf hydrangeas from cold winters, you can easily do it with a few basic supplies:
- Chicken wire or other pliable wire fencing to make a cage around them.
- Wire snips to cut the chicken wire.
- Burlap fabric to wrap around the cage.
- Shredded leaves to cover the ground.
How To Winterize Hydrangeas
For all hydrangeas, make sure they’re well-watered through the fall. If you don’t get adequate rain, you may need to water your hydrangeas, especially if you planted them in the last year.
Make sure to cover the ground around them with two to three inches of mulch. This helps to moderate soil temperature and prevent freezing and thawing, which can expose roots and cause them to dry out.
How to Winterize Hydrangeas Grown in Containers
Hydrangeas grown in winter-proof containers can be overwintered in place if the containers are too large to move. Add mulch and make sure the soil hasn’t completely dried out before the ground freezes. If the soil is dry, water lightly.
If you can safely do so, move the containers to a more sheltered location to protect them from strong winds but still get some sun and moisture.
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How to Winterize Hydrangeas: A Step-by-Step Guide
Tips
The most common types of garden hydrangeas are tree, paniculate and large-leaved.
Each of them requires a special approach at different stages of the autumn procedures. Start them a couple of weeks before the first frost, and in the spring the shrub will thank you.
- Photo
- Legion Media
Prevent pests and diseases
Spray the bushes and surrounding soil with a pesticide such as 3% Bordeaux mixture. Such a “treatment” will allow the hydrangea to feel good in the spring, when dangerous insects wake up along with the plants.
- Photo
- Legion Media
Feed the hydrangea
Properly selected fertilizers will allow the shrub to endure cold and temperature changes, which will have a positive effect on spring flowering. Hurry up to feed the plant before the stable cold weather! Use potash and phosphorus compounds or buy a complex fertilizer.
The main thing is that it does not contain ash, which enhances alkali, and nitrogen, which promotes the growth of greenery, which is not at all necessary before hibernation.
- Photo
- Legion Media
Pruning
If you have a large-leaved hydrangea, prune early. Be very careful, because if you grab last year's shoots, on which the hydrangea will bloom next spring, you can lose all the beauty. Remove only faded two-year-old shoots and cut the inflorescences to the first buds. Also cut off the affected, damaged and thin shoots.
Tree hydrangeas should be cut off branches older than four years, as well as never flowering and damaged shoots. The main branches should be cut to two pairs of well-developed buds.
Paniculata hydrangea must be freed from damaged and dried shoots, faded inflorescences and shoots growing inside the bush.
- Photo
- Legion Media
Mulch
Mulch the hydrangea around the trunk with a mixture of lowland peat and pine needles (compost or soil is good in a pinch). Spud the shrub so that the height of the mulch is 15 centimeters.
- Photo
- Legion Media
Cover bushes
Paniculata and tree hydrangea can do without warm protection, but other species need an airbag from the cold. Remove the leaves, tie up the branches and wrap the hydrangea with spunbond in two layers, securing with a rope. Build a mesh frame around the bush and fill it with leaves, then cover it with a moisture-proof material. In the spring, open the hydrangea for a few days so that the plant has time to adapt.
- Photo
- Legion Media
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