We've had several hard frosts, and life has been just too hectic to get out and finish my fall clean-up and get set for winter. I have a Preziosa hydrangea, planted this spring, that will need winter protection. Is it too late, if it has already frozen a couple of times? What do the experienced hydrangea growers here recommend? I've seen suggestions of burlap, or a wire frame with leaves.
Do I also need to protect a Pinky Winky and Limelight, or are they OK in Central IL without protection? This is my first winter with hydrangeas, so I'll take all the help I can get!
When do I need to set up winter protection?
Most likely your temperatures haven't gotten low enough to be a big problem yet. Plus it's the spring freezes that will do more damage than freezes now because the buds are getting ready to pop out and are more susceptible to cold at that point. So I don't think it's too late yet but I'd probably try to do it fairly soon (hopefully someone from your zone can give you some more specifics around when would be to late...I used to live in zone 6 but didn't grow hydrangeas back then). Pinky Winky and Limelight will be fine, they're both H. paniculata species and bloom on new wood, plus they're a zone or two hardier than the macrophyllas so they should be just fine.
Thanks! I do hope to hear from someone in the midwest. . .always nice to hear from someone near me that has been successful in getting them to keep blooming!
At this point, it is tiny. It was about a foot tall at one point--not sure if it was eaten off, or if DH or the neighbor whacked it accidentally. It did start putting up new branches and leaves, so I know the roots are alive. At least it will be easy to cover this year. :o)
I would get all the material ready now for winter protecting so when the time is right, you can quickly start and protect Preziosa. You may be able to keep leaves in piles or garbage bags for example and other stuff in the garage. If your method of protection involves flattening them, look for cardboard (TV boxes work) materials now. If your method of protection involves building a frame of chicken wire and stakes, you can actually prepare that now when it is warm and more comfortable... just do not add any leaves yet. If you line the inside of the cage with cardboard, burlap or insulation cloth, get those materials now. All types of leaves can be temporarily stored in garbage bags until needed but look for oak leaves as, in my humble opinion, they appear to not pack down like other leaves do. This keeps the hydrangea stems' ends well protected and this, after all, is where most flower buds develop. Unused bags of leaves should be kept available so you can add more if you notice that the leaves have packed down and the stems are no longer well protected. The wind is sometimes the culprit; other times it could be the weight of snow on top of the cage.
A few light frosts should help toughen up the plant and start forcing the shrub to go dormant. Once the leaves dry out, then you really know the plant is dormant and it of course can be protected. But Mother Nature hardly ever communicates when to winter protect in an obvious manner. You could get to 28 degrees tonight and tomorrow's low is in the 40-30s... grumble, grumble....
The buds will not be destroyed just because the temperature goes below freezing, of course. After all, Preziosa can grow in Zone 6 unprotected, where it goes below freezing often, and it does not loose the flower buds there. It is when the plant is exposed to really cold temperatures or unexpected temperature swings that problems arise. If the leaves have dried out or if the weather forecast calls for nights around 20-25 (or lower) then you are welcome to get antsy and cover them. Make a note in the calendar of when this happened so you can refer to the date next year.
Thanks, Luis! Our nights have been getting pretty cold, so I'd better get some coverage on it. I have some wire caging and an abundance of leaves (no oak, though), so maybe today will be a good day to get it set out.
Wish I could cover up and go dormant for the winter months, too! LOL
Angie
But then there are days like yesterday in Texas when it was nice and warm and theeen you would not want to be dormant. Hee hee hee. A cousin of mine lives in IL so I have an idea what you are going through.
I've had trouble getting consistent bloom on my hydrangeas here in MO until I started heavily mulching them with leaves after the first good freeze and keeping them covered until danger of frost is past. I just mound leaves over them until they are completely hidden and leave them. The branches hold the leaves throughout the winter. I've planted several florist hydrangeas and treat them the same way and the blooms are gorgeous. You just have to remember to wait until they are well frozen. This keeps the mice from getting to them.
You have mice nibbling on the poor sleeping hydrangeas, yehudith? Which part of the shrub do they like to nibble? I have a mice problem near an old shed but the hydrangeas are being ignored (maybe for now).
So far no. I just was taught it was good gardening practice to wait for a freeze befor mulching down trees and shrubs to avoid the problem. We recently bought my son a Jack Russel terrier to replace his old hearing ear dog. Needles to say ever since, no deprevations from rodents so far this winter including voles. He's death on voles!
Thanks to the decent weather and my kids being home from school I managed to get all my hydrageas mulched down yesterday. I binasically store the raked up leaves from the fall in a dry place and about this time of year give or take I bury them in the mounded up leaves. With the smaller plants I can actually cover them up to the tips. The larger plants I do the best I can with. I really see a big difference with all of them when I do this. I also as I'm burying them give them each a real good shake that settles the leaves into the crown area. If you wait until a good freeze you won't have problems with rot. I leave all the leaves on until new growth starts in the spring and then slowly start to remove them. The new growth is pale and weedy at first, but picks up fast. I also seem to get more and better bloom when I do this too.
Yehudith
Sounds like a good wintering program to me, Yehudith. The plants should do well. Do keep an eye on the mounds, say, once monthly during winter. The wind and snow cover can "move things around". An extra pile of unused leaves can also aid if you have any leftover leaves and notice thining later this winter.