Most popular types of hydrangea do not need special shelters for the cold season. But novice gardeners are concerned about another important question: do I need to prune the hydrangea for the winter, or can the bush be left as it is? Unfortunately, it will not be possible to avoid the process of forming this plant with scissors, but it can be simplified as much as possible.
Shelter and pruning hydrangeas
Protect from winter frosts, usually only the large-leaved species of this beautiful plant has to be protected. However, the first two years of the life of a bush in a new place will have to cover the roots with a simple hilling and pouring a layer of fallen leaves. A rare species - Sargent's hydrangea - requires additional wrapping of the entire trunk and branches with kraft paper. You can use cardboard boxes from home appliances if you don't want to mess around with traditional packaging. How to prune a hydrangea? It depends on the time of year and the variety of the bush,growing on the plot.
If the gardener is a proud owner of a paniculate or tree-like appearance, the removal of inflorescences that form on old shoots will be mandatory. Do I need to prune the hydrangea for the winter in this case? Of course yes. Without removing excess shoots, the bushes thicken very much, the flowers become small and faded, and the plant itself begins to slowly turn into ugly thickets. Spring pruning is usually intended to strengthen future shoots and greatly increase summer and fall blooms.
The main requirement for such procedures is that the plant must have time to recover before the appearance of buds or before the first frost. In the spring, excess shoots are removed in late March or early April. But is it necessary to cut the hydrangea for the winter, if at the beginning of the year there was already one such procedure? Most gardeners think it's a must.
Autumn pruning is needed for the normal formation of the main stems of the plant, it allows you to create a unique shape of the bush and solve the problem with most molds and rot. Such ailments can occur due to stagnation of air and excessive moisture in a densely growing crown. Plus, due to the lack of light, flowers and leaves will be pale.
How to prune hydrangeas in autumn for the first time
In the first year of life at the end of the season, you can not remove the extra shoots, but this only means that you have to work hard in the spring. The soil will need to be mulched with high-quality compost, and the branches cut to a distance of one third of their length. In autumn, you can remove the shoots that are on the stiff shoot-stalk. Thus, the trunk of the future beauty is formed: every year you need to thin out such shoots, and the plant will be as similar as possible to a tree, and not to a bush. Autumn work is also associated with the removal of all wilted inflorescences, otherwise the emerging seeds will draw out all the nutrients.
Do I need to prune my hydrangea for the winter to bloom quickly in the new year? Most gardeners believe that this is a myth - removing shoots at the end of the year only stimulates the growth of the root system and forms the general appearance of the bush, but does not affect the number of buds in the new year.
