Wondering how others in zone 5 prepare for winter. I have made a chickenwire cage around the hydrangeas and filled it with chopped leaves. This has served me well, however, others in my neighborhood do nothing and have great looking plants. Is there any tried and true rule? I have hydrangeas on the southwest of the house with little protection and also on the southeast, again with little protection. Thanks. Susan
Winter care
what kind of hydrangea are the neighbors leaving unprotected?
I am too chicken NOT to winter protect my mopheads. I want my blooms and don't want to risk them. I don't protect the aborescens or the paniculata.
I like to err on the side of caution.
There are many mopheads that Susan can grow unprotected in Zone 6... All Summer Beauty, Glowing Embers, Ayesha, the Endless Summer Series, the Forever & Ever Series, etc. Just check the plant label to make sure it is hardy in your zone. In Zone 5, you are a little more limited but All Summer Beauty, Penny Mac and Blushing Bride will also work (plus some of the ES and F&E Series). The assumption is that you do not have microclimates where you live and therefore, that the general USDA Zone Designation for your geographical area applies to your home.
You still need to provide 3-4" of mulch year around and try to maintain constant moist soil during winter when it is dry and the ground has not frozen.
I didn't realize she was zone 6. Lucky you!
I thought most of Ohio was zone 5.
She does say zone 5 in the first post, and having grown up in that area I'm almost positive Medina would be in zone 5b. The northern half of Ohio is mostly 5b unless you're right by the lake which gets into 6a, and the southern half is mostly 6a.
I looked it up by city name/state in the USDA website; it said Z6 but I would go with what Susan said in her profile. I am in the edge of zones 7 and 8 so I have to be careful what I buy. Maybe after all the global warming is over, I will just be on Zone 8. Hee hee hee!
My mom moved from an entire life of zone 5 to zone 7 in Charlotte, NC. She is in heaven. I keep sender her stuff she could never grow before. Hydrangeas included
I am in zone 5 b and have quite a few Endless Summer, Blushing Brides, a Lady in Red which I am very disappointed with and Forevers planted. I did not do anything to them last winter and am now left with beautiful, lush and healthy hydrangeas with not a blossom in sight. You can be sure I will protect them this coming winter, have my chicken wire ready. Has anybody used anything else to fill their cages besides leaves for protection? I don't have a supply of oak leaves to draw on and the leaves from the trees in my yard pack down and form quite a soggy mess.
Cheers
Barb
How long have you had yours? I remember from some other threads over the last couple years that it seems like it takes a couple years in the ground before they really get going on the new wood blooms. Still no harm in protecting them, you'll get more blooms total if you can keep the old wood blooms too but you may just need to give them a bit more time before you give up on the new wood blooms.
I have endless summer and I did winter protect and I had old wood blooms early on and I have new growth blooms now. The blooms on the new growth are much smaller than the early blooms on old wood.
I used straw instead of leaves.
This is in early June with winter protection.
