Hydrangeas are one of the most popular plants in any garden. They are loved for their ease of growing and care, as well as their incredible beauty. This flower can become a worthy decoration of any alpine hill or flower garden, however, most beginner gardeners are often interested in how to care for it in the cold season. Some of the most popular at the moment are questions about whether it is necessary to cut the hydrangea for the winter, why do it and how to properly prepare the plant for this procedure.
Preparing for the cold season
It should be remembered that it is completely optional to specially prepare frost-resistant plant varieties for the winter period. They will survive this period perfectly without additional protection. For normal functioning, it is enough to know how to prune a hydrangea for the winter and spud its base.
For normal preparation for winter, watering the plants is stopped at the very beginning of September and all lower leaves are removedto start lignification of shoots. Just before frost, you can cut off all the foliage from the plant, leaving only the top that protects the flower buds.
Do I need to prune the hydrangea for the winter and how to do it
With large-leaved hydrangea, this procedure is practically not performed. Before shelter, the plants remove all weak, damaged and broken branches. It should be remembered that it is inadmissible to remove the apical bud of a hydrangea. It is from it that the peduncle will be formed next year. Also, do not rush to remove blackened shoots - they may turn out to be alive. To be completely sure, you should wait for spring and see if the buds hatch on them.
No experienced gardener can confidently give an answer to the question of whether it is necessary to cut the hydrangea for the winter. All of them agree that the plant practically does not need this operation. If there is a need to shorten the shoots, then only cosmetic and only in very young bushes. This is due to the fact that the main hydrangea peduncles are located on the tops of last year's shoots, and by removing them, the gardener will simply destroy future flowers. That is why rarely anyone can give an unambiguous answer to the question of whether hydrangeas are pruned for the winter.
The first priority when caring for this plant is to keep all of its stems safe and sound. Particular attention should be paid to the flower buds at the end of the shoots. If they dry out or freeze, thenthe plant will not bloom and will be an ugly bunch of branches.
The answer to the question of whether it is necessary to cut the hydrangea for the winter can be the following statement: this is done only to rejuvenate the plant. At the same time, the gardener cuts out only weak and broken branches, and also moderately thins out the bush so that new replacement shoots begin to form. During the autumn procedure, it is very important to leave the inflorescences of the plant intact, as they can provide the kidneys with additional protection from winter frosts. In the spring, of course, they can be removed, but this must be done with great care and trying not to damage the young shoot.
