Zone 6 Hydrangea winter protecting?

14 years ago

I have a beautiful blue hydrangea. I do not know the name

Common old fashion blue that blooms on old wood.

How do I protect it so I get blooms next year? I have a huge beautiful bush and I can see next years growth tips. What can I do this winter to keep them from being ruined(again..)

Thanks

Featured Answer

melaroma

14 years ago

I finally got around to caging my three hydrangeas but am a bit worried about my Nikko as it is looking a bit sad after last nights frost. I'm in zone six and the nursery where I bought it said that it was the hardiest for Utah but you never know with nurseries.

Did I get too it too late? Will it still bloom for me?

I caged it along with my two ES (just in case!) and piled on the leaves pretty heavy. Can I also cover it with burlap or is that over doing it? I'm in love with these beauties and want to make sure that they flower come summer.

This is how they look once they are caged:

I bought 15 wood stakes at Lowes for $6, Chicken Wire enough for all three for $20 and it came with wire. I thought that caging them would be difficult but it was simple and easy to do.

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Comments (9)

luis_pr
14 years ago
If this plant is hardy on zone 6 then all you need to do is to keep it well mulched (about 3-4" thru the drip line).

If the plant is not hardy to zone 6 then check the information on the link below.

The two approaches discussed in the link are: 1) cover the shrub with chicken wire and fill it up with leaves (really pack them in as they serve as insulators); 2) place a cardboard on top of the shrubs and press downwards slowly (the stems will bend) so the stems lie almost flat (hold the cardboard with rocks and add leaves on top).

Blooms develop near the tips so it is important to protect the stem tips with lots of leaves. When doing the chicken wire thing, allow for several inches between the end of the stems and the sides/top of the chicken wire cage. The more separation, the more protection but pack those leaves good in there. Also, keep a reserve of unused leaves in a plastic trash bag as leaves sometimes settle and you may need to add more in mid winter (use mulch if you run out).

Luis

Here is a link that might be useful: Overwintering hydrangeas
ontheteam
Original Author
14 years ago
Thanks. I am going to protect it like you describe. It't can't hurt. I am tired of getting a beautiful SHRUB w/ no flowers.
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My first Hydrangea is now in the ground for more than 25 years. At this point, I keep it for sentimental reasons only. It's gotten so THICK with canes that if I wrap it in my usual cage, I have to get everything so tight in there that I think I may actually be suffocating the plant. I've not had good luck overwintering it in recent years. This past winter I didn't even bother with it. If I were you, I'd consider taking a cutting or digging out a portion of your sentimental one and essentially start over. It would indeed be the same plant, so you could keep your sentiment. But I can understand sentiment. I should get rid of my first Hydrangea, but I'm not. For a long time I would cut back the old canes completely to the ground in the Fall. I'd only leave canes that had shot up from low points on the canes or from the crown. They would have grown all summer and would end up giving me great flowering the next year. I'd have very long stemmed flowers, too, that I had cut. The big problem with this technique is that you end up with weaker stems than you would otherwise and next summer they'd be weighted down to the ground with their flowers. I've found that, for my zone, I can usually prune as hard as I want up until about Fourth of July, just to be easy to remember, and not hurt the flowering potential for next year. After that, the buds start setting for next year and you start running into that problem. (But then I've cut some "nikkos" back to the crown in the Fall and on some I'd get great flowering and on some I'd get none. Do I really understand this? NO.) So, here is another method for you to consider to keep it smaller, at least in height. Another thing I've experimented with is to prune all the wimpy growth completely out and just end up with a few stout canes over time. This was interesting, but you end up with an artifical looking Hydrangea and the few stout canes start looking rather strange. But with this technique, more or less, you could develop a plant that wasn't so crowded. I don't know though. I wish I could help you more. I'd like an answer to the question you have, too! Hay
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kentstar
14 years ago
When do you cover with protection in zone 5b? Should I wait until late October? Early November? The "official" frost date here is November 2nd.
thanks all
ditas
14 years ago
Hi Kentstar - You are a zone higher ... any respectable nursery will be glad to inform you with the *rule of thumb* in your area.

Also the nodular buds are protected by a few overlapping layers of scales to protect buds (leaf or flower) from sudden exposure to extreme temp changes ... some warmth from the ground will travel to top still, in the early days of winter. Over in my zone the rule is *Thanksgiving* ... give or take a few. Usually weather reports are pretty good at alerting us.

I think you still have plenty of time to gather your needs! BTW if you are thinking of using burlap, to wrap with, I found that the fabric shop carry thicker, sturdier & wider kind than what the nurseries carry ... watch for markdowns, as well!
kentstar
14 years ago
Thankyou ditas! I already have my chicken fencing and an ample supply of oak leaves in the fall. I can get that finer 'pine mulch' which is a little finer than mini nuggets at my local nursery too. I love that stuff! Easy to mix in, breaks down faster, good for my soil. But, I have only found that ONE nursery that sells it. Big box stores only sell the nuggets or regular pine mulch.
I wonder if I can use old panty hose for tying the stems. I don't see why not :)
I will ask my local nursery for more info on timing, but I think they'll probably say the same, around Thanksgiving.
ditas
14 years ago
This Winter, I don't have to do my most meticulous, over-wintering chore, since old Nikko is a great deal smaller after the move ... she now is a mere 2.5'x2'wd so much easier to wrap & cage!!!

I think I'm going to use pine needles this year, I got a huge bale last winter ... not enough for all I had to protect ... a lot easier to clean up in the Spring & didn't mat down either.

I have officially, 9 to seriously protect, but I like to give a light, cover-up to 3 Oakleaf Hydrangeas, as they are in the line of fire, of our wicked winds! Last Winter was one harsh killer, they survived, but none of the 3 produced blooms despite their cages

We still have a bit of time to enjoy the Fall colors!!! Â;)
dirtythumb
14 years ago
I live in zone 4 and have both Annabelle and Endless Summer hydrangeas. This past spring I moved the ES so it didn't do much this year. Do I have to cover it? I didn't last year...Also, this past spring I pruned Annabelle to the ground and it grew beautifully. I plan on doing this every year to control the size. Can I prune to the ground now (almost November) and, if I do, should I mulch it at the base?
hydrangeasnohio
14 years ago
Hello dirtythumb, the Annabelle is not a bad idea to mulch, but not necessary. I would cut in vey low every year. The harder you prune the bigger the blooms you will get. But some people would argue that the blooms droop more after a good rain because of their size. I always prune in early spring, but you can prune anytime between late fall and early spring. I just enjoy a little winter interest. The ES blooms on old and new wood. If you want to protect the old wood so you have blooms earlier next year you can protect it. My ES died to the ground last year in a zone 5b. So I would imagine yours will every year in zone 4. But I did get some great blooms on my new wood.

Zone 6 Hydrangea winter protecting?

melaroma

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ontheteam
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Zone 6 Hydrangea winter protecting?

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