What should I do with my hydrangea in the winter?
Potted hydrangeas overwinter best in a garage or basem*nt where the temperature stays cool but doesn't freeze. The plants will go dormant, but you'll still need to water the pots occasionally, about once a month, to keep the roots moist, until spring.
Cut back these shrubs in late winter before new growth begins. Because they need to grow and set buds the same year that they bloom, shrubs that flower on new wood generally start blossoming later than old-growth bloomers, beginning in midsummer and continuing until the first frost.
Prune fall blooming hydrangeas, or old wood bloomers, after they bloom in the summer. If you prune old wooded hydrangeas in fall, you are cutting off next seasons blooms. Summer blooming hydrangeas, or those that bloom on new wood, are pruned in the fall, after they stop blooming.
A good way to start winterizing hydrangeas is to lay down a thick layer of mulch over their root area. Straw works well for this. For even greater protection, cover the shrub with a wire cage, or build a cage around it with strong stakes and chicken wire. Wrap burlap or insulation cloth around the cage.
In addition to encouraging hydrangeas to produce more flowers, pruning these shrubs each year helps keep them healthy if they get damaged by weather and allows you to shape them however you like.
So pruning it back in the fall means you may be cutting off all the flower buds for next year. If it's the type of hydrangea that blooms on new wood, the flower buds won't form until spring. Pruning it back in the fall won't cut off next year's flower buds because they haven't formed yet.
Trimming should be done immediately after flowering stops in summer, but no later than August 1. Do not prune in fall, winter, or spring or you could be cutting off new buds. Tip-pruning the branches as leaves emerge in spring can encourage multiple, smaller flower heads rather than fewer larger flower heads.
Hydrangeas that bloom on new wood require pruning in late winter or early spring. Prune to shape, cutting back to about two feet. The pruning promotes new, sturdy growth, which provides the blooms next season.
With their vibrant, plump blooms, hydrangeas offer a striking display in the warm weather - but what do they look like in the winter? As the delicate petals fade in the colder months, bright hydrangeas can quickly appear dry and brown - requiring targeted care to get them flowering again in April.
You can also check your hydrangea in the fall to see if any buds are starting to push out already. If there are buds already on the branches, then it blooms on old wood. If there are not yet buds in the fall, then it will push them out on new growth the following spring.
What do you do with hydrangeas at the end of the season?
You can clip the dead flowers off the plant just below the bloom, or leave it on the plant into the winter. Most dried hydrangea flowers break off sometime in the winter and any that remain on the plant can be removed in the spring. 3. Don't “neaten them up”!
When you first move the plant outside, place it in a spot where it will initially be protected from full sun, wind and rain. Then gradually move it to its full sun location over a few weeks, giving it plenty of time to get used to the intense sun.
No significant damage or harm will be done to the plant if you don't deadhead your hydrangeas. However, you may limit the growth of the flowers. Without going through the deadheading process, hydrangeas will not produce as many flowers and the few produced may not grow as big to their full potential.
Wait until Spring to prune hydrangeas
While some plants bloom on new growth, others primarily set flower buds on old wood. Regardless, it is best to wait to prune all hydrangeas until spring. In the fall, hydrangeas (and all trees and shrubs) are in the process of going dormant.
Hydrangeas that bloom on new wood can be safely pruned in late fall once the plants have gone dormant or in early spring. Next year's flower buds won't be formed until late spring the same year they bloom, so there is no risk of removing the buds if you prune in fall or spring.
Prune back stems to just above a fat bud — called a heading cut — in fall, late winter or spring. These plants have conical-shaped flower heads. I recommend leaving the dry, tan flower heads on the plant to provide some winter interest in your landscape, so I wait to prune these until late winter or spring.
Oakleaf hydrangeas, Hydrangea quercifolia: This native hydrangea features cone-shaped white blooms that turn a beautiful shade of russet in late summer. It, too, blooms on old wood so should not be pruned until after flowering.
If the flower buds open a green color, then turn white, and as they age turn green or greenish brown, you have an arborescens type. If the flowers open white and stay white until they get old, then you probably have a macrophylla type. White flowering macrophylla types are less common, but they do exist.
Many people think that you need a shady garden in order to grow hydrangeas. While that is true for some varieties, some hydrangeas thrive in sunny spots and even need full sun to develop into the fullest plants and the brightest blooms.
Cut these stems close to the ground. Remember buds for blooms are produced on old wood and the more old wood you remove the less floral display in the spring and summer. To rejuvenate the hydrangea, remove up to 1/3 of the older living stems down to the ground each summer. This will revitalize the plant.
Why did my hydrangeas bloom last year but not this year?
The primary reasons hydrangeas don't bloom are incorrect pruning, bud damage due to winter and/or early spring weather, location and too much fertilizer. Hydrangea varieties can be of the type that blooms on old wood, new wood or both. Old wood is the current year's growth and new wood is next year's (spring) growth.
When you deadhead hydrangeas, you aren't harming the plants at all. Removing the spent blooms triggers flowering shrubs to stop producing seeds and instead put their energy toward root and foliage development. This makes plants stronger and healthier, so by deadheading, you'll be doing your hydrangeas a favor.
Unlike deadheading, which calls for removing just the buds, pruning involves removing any part of the plant.
Sometimes bigleaf hydrangeas become overgrown and need to be trimmed. However, too much pruning will greatly reduce or eliminate flowering. In late summer, after the bloom period, dried flowers can be removed.
Mulch can be helpful, too.
Even snow can act as a natural insulator for hydrangeas. Apply a layer of chunky mulch around the base of the plant and that will give your hydrangeas their best chance at success! Decorative mulch is helpful, but straw, marsh hay or even fallen leaves works the best.
Hydrangeas don't look very nice in the winter. And they look even worse in the Spring! The old branches look dead at the end of winter (even though they're almost always just dormant); and they are unattractive for a while.
- Bring a kettle or pot of water to a boil and set aside to cool slightly. ...
- Place the hydrangeas on the cutting board and use the sharp knife to cut the end of the hydrangea at a 45 degree angle. ...
- Place the hydrangea(s) in the vase filled with hot water.
- Let sit for a minimum of one hour and voila!
Don't get discouraged by dried leaves.
If your hydrangea has foliage that is brown and crisp, don't fret—de Corral says this doesn't mean they're past the point of recovery. "Start your new watering schedule as outlined above, and after a few days you should see new budding appear," she says.
Prune in early spring, just as leaves are beginning to show. Cut branches back by one-half to one-third, cutting just above a node.
Hydrangeas that bloom on new wood require pruning in late winter or early spring. Prune to shape, cutting back to about two feet. The pruning promotes new, sturdy growth, which provides the blooms next season.
Should hydrangeas be cut back in the fall or spring?
Wait until Spring to prune hydrangeas
While some plants bloom on new growth, others primarily set flower buds on old wood. Regardless, it is best to wait to prune all hydrangeas until spring. In the fall, hydrangeas (and all trees and shrubs) are in the process of going dormant.
Most hydrangeas are pruned in spring, their flower heads having been left on over winter to protect the buds beneath. Climbing hydrangeas are the exception to this rule – they are pruned in summer, after flowering.
You can also check your hydrangea in the fall to see if any buds are starting to push out already. If there are buds already on the branches, then it blooms on old wood. If there are not yet buds in the fall, then it will push them out on new growth the following spring.
