Lady In Red

I recently purchased a Lady in Red. So can some one tell me if it will hold its leaves over the winter? I'm Zone 9, so we don't have really cold winters and freezing is not typically a huge problem. If not, are any hydrangeas evergreen? I am looking to make them my foundation plantings, but don't want big holes in my beds all winter.

Thanks.

All hydrangeas are deciduous; there are no evergreen varieties. And yes, that means they should loose leaves over winter. Luckily for you, plants in zones 9-10 will open new leaf buds much more quickly than the rest of us. Luis

Luis is right, they are deciduous even in warmer climates. But they only look like dead sticks for a couple of months, and if you plant some other evergreen shrubs in with them you probably won't even really notice them. I have so many things in my garden that are evergreen that the few things that are deciduous are really not that noticeable in the winter.

Thanks so much for the info.

I think I will try them anyway and just interplant in a way that will help everything look full year around.

I'm in inland Southern California and have two Lady in Red's that I planted last year. They indeed lost their leaves, and I feared that with our awful freeze they would loose their life :-( I'm happy to report that they did come back, and beautifully to boot (they are just growing like mad)! I've done the same thing - interplanted with other flowers.

Our freeze wasn't that awful (for hydrangeas at least)--they can survive in zone 5/6 so nothing zone 9/10 can throw at it is going to bother it in the slightest!

Now to figure out what to plant with them. In your experiences, how tall do the get? The tag said 3'x3', but I know that tags are not always (or in some cases, ever) correct.

Thanks,
Sheila

I've never grown that particular cultivar, but Plant Files also says 3-4' tall and wide, you might try googling it and see if other references agree as well.

Mine lady in red lost every leaf -- and came back better than beautiful - I am zone 8a.

Zone 7 reporting that mine came back in great shape and it was the first winter for it and a very strange winter indeed.