3 Tips For Protecting Your Hydrangea Containers This Winter
Growing hydrangeas in containers is a great way to accent the shrub's signature large blooms with different colors, textures, and sized pots. Planting hydrangeas in containers enables people with large or small gardens to beautifully accent their pathways or patios. After a successful growing season, many gardeners may wonder: What do I do with my hydrangea pots this winter? Here, we'll dive into three easy-to-follow steps for protecting your potted hydrangeas during the winter so you can enjoy this superstar shrub again next season.
3 Easy Steps To Protect Your Hydrangea Containers This Winter:
Step #1: Start With The Right Container
If your hydrangea is planted in clay, concrete, or glazed pots, it is recommended to replant it in a plastic or wooden pot for winterizing. While beautiful, clay and other ceramic pots are susceptible to cracking when temperatures get below freezing. When these pots crack, it allows more frigid air to reach the root system, which could potentially kill your hydrangeas while they are in storage. Instead, switch to a plastic or composite pot that has good drainage.
Step #2: Prep Your Hydrangeas
Now that you have your hydrangeas in a proper pot, it's time to prepare the plants for storage. Start this process in late fall, or just before the first hard freeze. Water lightly, add a layer of mulch, but skip out on any fertilizing, or pruning. This may encourage some new growth from your hydrangeas just before frigid winter temperatures set in. Remember, if it blooms on new wood, pruning is optimal in late winter or early spring. If the hydrangea blooms on old wood, you can skip pruning entirely except to remove any untidy, dead, or diseased branches.
Step #3: Move Your Containers To a Sheltered Location
The final step to winterizing your hydrangea containers is to move them to a place that is shielded from winter elements, dark, dry, and unheated, such as an unheated garage, shed, cool basement, or even a side of the house that does not receive a lot of sunlight or heavy winds. The lack of the sun and cooler temperatures will force your hydrangeas to enter dormancy. If you are unable to switch your hydrangeas out of a clay container or you want to provide extra protection, consider further protection by insulating with a blanket or burlap. Bring your hydrangea containers out of storage in spring, or when the final frost date for your zone has passed.