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Overwintering hydrangeas in pots - zone 6

15 years ago

I have a couple of Endless Summer Hydrangeas in large Chinese ceramic pots. They have spent the summer outside, but I need to move the pots in for the winter, as I don't want them to crack. Usually I put the pots in a garage that I keep above freezing, with other plants which go dormant. I am assuming that I can do this with the hydrangeas, but I don't actually know...............I don't really want to pull the plants from the pots as they are quite large and it would be a difficult job.......................any advice?

Thanks...............

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joannemb

12 years ago

I am in Cleveland... This thread was very helpful--thank you! I am wondering how often I should be watering them right now (they are still out on my front porch---leaves still on.) I ask because the past couple of weeks they have wanted more water it seems.... they will wilt 3 days after watering and then perk up after I water. I know I should be easing up on the water, so just wondering. Once I put them in my garage, should I water every 2 weeks (as somone suggested) or leave them be till after Christmas (as someone else mentioned)?
Thanks!
Joanne

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Comments (7)

luis_pr
15 years ago
Move them inside (garage, protected shed, etc) as soon as the temps get close to the point where the pots can crack. Water every two weeks or so. I would normally bring them inside once there was a hard frost that resulted in the leaves drying up but, since your pots may crack, keep them outside as long as you can.
ostrich
15 years ago
I overwintered a few hydrangeas in pots in my unheated (but insulated) garage last year. They all did fine. However, I wondered if I did not wait until they were all really dormant before I moved them into the garage. I said this because they all had some unhealthy foliage growth throughout the winter. Then they did not bloom very well this past summer. Should I have waited longer before I brought them into the garage, so that they were truly dormant?
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Um, no, the Oca was a total failure in terms of production. The tubers it made before the tops froze off in late October were maybe 1/4 inch across, tiny things. But obviously big enough to survive and regrow. Foliage is pretty -- I think it would be a nice foliage accent plant in combination planters if nothing else. I don't hold out much hope of it growing edible tubers, since it doesn't seem to start making them until a couple of weeks before frost here. George -- apparently it didn't freeze hard enough to kill them, anyway. The tubers would have been a couple of inches deep in the soil, and then had probably 8-10 inches of oak laves over the top of them as mulch. We had freezing weather and frozen soil from December through early March, and a few nights down to around Zero, but it was a very mild winter overall.
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I assume your talking temperature in Celsius so that's be about 5-14 Fahrenheit in the garage. I think you'd be safer in the cellar. With that said I have successfully overwintered pots by putting the up against the wall attached to the house, covering with a blanket then piling bags of leaves around it to insulate. Garage gets to about 0 Fahrenheit on the coldest night here in Zone 4. Don't worry about light.
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marisha-too
15 years ago
I have a few hydrangeas growing in pots. During last 2 winters I just brought them inside (my house is pretty cold during winter months). Plants were growing leaves, and one even had flowers in spring. All of them did OK inside on the window and looked well in spring.
ego45
15 years ago
Ostrich, I had similar results to yours when I first started to overwinter in pots. Since then I changed my pracice. I either wait untill leaves shrivel and fall off on their own (usualy after few consecutive nights in 20's) or if leaves are still present I just cut them off before bringing into cold frame. Also, I give them a good drink before put to sleep and do not water untill after the Christmas.
Everything is going fine since I start this practice.
hayseedman
15 years ago
I think that the Hydrangeas that I overwinter do best if they're allowed to get very cold and very dormant during the winter. The times I put them into a too warm place they don't do as well. And they always want to send out flowers long before I'm ready. It's a funny sight to go down to a cellar and see this plant with white, bleached out foliage and flower in the late winter. It still will do OK, but not the best. I've always thought it must be the equivalent of keeping me up all night. I look pretty OK, but I'm not really OK.

I'd keep them outside as long as I could and then try to find a place that was very very cold.

I end up keeping mine all outside under cover of some sort. That's always worked best for me.

If I have plants inside a cellar, say, I water very sparingly. Very.

Hay
ostrich
15 years ago
George and Hay, thanks! I think that your experience just confirmed my suspicion. This year, I surely will just leave them out there until they are completely dormant then. Hopefully, they will grow much better when spring comes!

Winter is not here yet and I am already looking forward to spring 2009!!! :-)

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