Hydrangeas are one of the most popular plants in any garden. They are loved for the simplicity of growing and care, as well as for their incredible beauty. This flower can be a worthy decoration of any alpine hill or flower garden, however, most novice gardeners are often interested in methods of caring for it in the cold season. One of the most popular at the moment is the question of whether to cut hydrangea for the winter, why to 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 without any additional protection. For normal functioning, it is enough to know how to prune hydrangea for the winter and to spud its base.
For normal preparation for winter, watering is stopped at the very beginning of September and all the lower leaves are removed to start lignification of the shoots. Immediately before frost, you can cut off all foliage from the plant, leaving only the top that protects the flower buds.
Do I need to cut hydrangea for the winter and how to do it
With
large-leaf hydrangea, this procedure is practically not performed. Before sheltering plants remove all weak, damaged and broken branches. Keep in mind the inadmissibility of the removal of the apical kidney hydrangea. It is from her that a flower stalk will be formed next year. Also, do not rush to remove blackened shoots - they can be alive. To be sure, you should wait until spring and see if their buds hatch on them.
Confidently give an answer to the question of whether to cut hydrangea for the winter, not a single experienced gardener can give. 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 exclusively in very young bushes. This is due to the fact that the main flower stalks of hydrangea 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 hydrangea is cut for the winter.
The primary task when caring for this plant is to keep all its stems intact. Particular attention should be paid to flower buds at the end of the shoots. If they vypryut or freeze, then the plant will not bloom and will be an ugly bunch of branches.
The answer to the question of whether to cut hydrangea for the winter can be the following statement: this is done only for the implementation of plant rejuvenation. In this case, the gardener cuts out only weak and broken branches, as well as moderately thin out the bush so that new substitute shoots begin to form. With the autumn procedure, it is very important to leave the plant inflorescences intact, as they can provide the kidneys with additional protection against winter frosts. In the spring, of course, they can be removed, but this must be done, being very careful and trying not to damage the young shoot.