After loosing most of my hyd buds to the crazy winter and DH's refusal to protect them last fall, I'm resolved to have a better year of hyd blooms next year. I've read that a lot of you build cages with wire around your hyds and pile fall leaves in them for insulation. Do you cover with a black garbage bag then to keep the leaves inside? DH thinks the weight of snow on a garbage bag will crush the hyd, and without a bag he thinks wind will blow the leaves away. Do you put some atop the leaves and wire to hold up snow or do you go out and brush off the snow or is it not a problem? Thanks again.
Preparing for winter
I put a piece of canvas around the wire cage and leave the top open. Another method is to cut the bottom out of a plastic trash can, put the can over the plant - fill it with leaves and put the top on. Most people don't use trash bags, the get too hot when the sun hits them.
Gary
Gary,
Should I do that for my QuickFire?
xxx, Carrie
QuickFire is very hardy. I leave mine out in flower pots with no protection. The snow protects them for me. If there was no snow I would have to cover the pots. If they are in the ground, no protection is required.
Gary
I put a cage around mine (Merritt's Supreme, planted late last summer). I used one of those tall wire folding fences, which worked great, and then I wrapped a layer of burlap around that and then filled it with oak leaves, with the top open. The leaves settled a lot, so then you have to add more (make sure you have some in reserve if you do this).
I thought it was a huge pain in the spring to remove the leaves, which had really matted down under the weight of snow. I did lose some branches because of that. But the good news is that the plant came thru great and I can see over a dozen flower buds on there now, and probably more I can't see yet.
I'd really like to find another method this winter that doesn't involve removing heavy, wet leaves.
Another method I have used is to bend the plant to the ground, put a piece of carpet over the plant and some bricks to hold the everything in place. It is more crude but it works. The plants spring up in a few days after I take off the carpet in the spring.
Gary
Gary, I saw a website that recommended doing that with cardboard instead of carpet. Are hydrangea branches really flexible enough to do that? (I'm really new to them, so I don't know). I think I'd be so afraid of snapping them off. Sure wouldn't get any blooms next year if that happens!
Noreaster
I used the carpet method on a Nico Blue, it looked completely normal after about three days after I removed the carpet scrap. I think that cardboard would would as good as carpet. Crude but effective. I like the looks of the wire cage wrapped with canvas. Burlap would be as effective as canvas. I got the canvas free so it was better for me.
Some people just put a sheet over the plant if they have a late frost, that's a bit more risky.
Gary
Gary, thanks for the advice on OUR QuickFire! :-D
xxx, Carrie