Hydrangea care?

jjenkins · December 2008

For anyone who has hydrangeas...please forgive my plant ignorance but I have a blushing bride hydrangea and one person told me I should of trimmed it back when it first got cold but another told me not to trim it back that it won't flower as much next year??

Did you do anything special to your hydrangeas at the end of the season? TIA!

MOORENOLES · December 2008

Both my mom and MIL told me to just pull off the dead leaves and flowers at the end of the season. Basically it looks like a bunch of sticks coming out of the ground. My MIL usually knows what shes talking about since she is licensed to be a judge at flower shows and also went to landscaping school. Good luck!

jjenkins · December 2008

Thanks Lesli! That's definitely helpful. It just looks so bad every time I walk up the sidewalk since its right there but I didn't want to ruin it!!

mahantango · December 2008

I am glad to read ignoring them except for pulling the yucky parts off is what Lesli's MIL does. That is what I did last year and they came back really nice this year.

PennyLane06 · December 2008

I agree with Lesli. I definitely would not cut the branches. This is from a nursery site and is referencing the blushing bride specifically.

I think we're zone 6 so the zone they're talking about below is colder than ours.

Northern Climate Winter Care (USDA hardiness zones 4-5)

To ensure overwintering success in the first year, the following is recommended:

Stop all applications of fertilizer after August 15th to acclimate the plant for winter.
Keep the soil moist through the fall months until the ground is frozen.
Cover the plant with a four-inch layer of organic mulch (wood mulch, leaves, etc.). There is no need to cover all stems to the tip or to cut them back.
Covering should be done when fully dormant (around November 30th), or at the same time you would cover perennials in your garden.
In spring, uncover with your perennials when the ground is no longer frozen. Endless Summer will grow from the plant base and also from any old branches that survived winter.
Be patient. Growth will come slowly until the heat of late spring stimulates the plant to grow faster.
Once you see growth you can prune back the old branches to a finger width above the new green growth.
Sit back and watch your plant grow and bloom. Depending on the severity of your climate, this should be mid summer at the latest.

jjenkins · December 2008

Awesome...you ladies rock! I'll have to try to get to Agway this weekend and pick up some mulch to cover it too. Thanks!!

Hydrangea care?

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