PREPARE YOUR HYDRANGEA FOR WINTER

THE MOST IMPORTANT ACTION YOU CAN TAKE RIGHT NOW

The most important thing you can do right now to prepare your hydrangea for winter is to be sure your plant is well hydrated as it goes into its winter dormancy. You might be tempted to do a little pruning and maybe some fertilizing, but I would caution you against that. As you already know, all pruning and fertilizing stimulates the plant which is exactly what you don’t want to do. A better use of your time would be to water your plant well.

I don’t know what the weather has been where you are, but we are having a glorious fall in the Northeast. The days are well into the 60s and sometimes 70s and the nights cool off into the low 40s. Yesterday I took the soil temp to see if I could plant my garlic and it came in at about 55 degrees. So in went the garlic. But what about the hydrangeas? Should we be “putting them to bed”? Well, not exactly. Extremely dry conditions have been plaguing us in Connecticut and elsewhere. The hydrangeas are showing it and putting them to bed when they are dry could spell doom for your next flowering cycle.

THE IMPORTANCE OF A WELL WATERED HYDRANGEA

The fabulous hydrangea flowering we enjoyed in the Northeast this year was a direct result of significant autumn 2023 rain events (as well as other weather conditions). It stands to reason then that we should mimic that as best we can and be sure to water our plants. With that in mind, each day I irrigate one or two plants (we are on a well so any kind of auto system is out of the question). Depending on where the plant is, I might run the hose for an extended time (maybe 2 hours or so) at a very slow drip so the plant and soil can slowly absorb the water. The big leaf and mountain hydrangeas may need special attention if they are close to a large tree. They need to compete for moisture and usually lose.

TRY USING WATERING CONES

One of the techniques you can use to water individual plants is watering cones/spikes.

Watering cone being used in garden at soil level.

You take a 2-liter or larger bottle of some beverage, empty/drink it and then cut off the bottom so it is open at both ends. Then just attach a spike (they come perforated) to the threaded end. When you water your plant, you fill the cone with water and walk away. Whether you fill the cone directly from the hose or bring water to the spike in a watering pail doesn’t matter. What matters is that the plant gets hydrated as the water trickles into the roots! The cones are also a great way to get liquid fertilizer to the roots of your plants without spilling/wasting any of it.

Here is a photo of a newly planted hydrangea with a spike set up so it gets the moisture it needs to get established.

Newly planted hydrangea set up with watering cone.

WATER UNTIL THE GROUND FREEZES

You should be able to continue watering until the ground freezes even after a situation that might kill off the leaves but not freeze the ground. That looks to be weeks away for Connecticut. I know this by consulting the long-range weather forecast that looks out 10 days. It helps me decide what to do when. It can do the same for you. Just go to https://forecast.weather.gov and plug in your zip code – you will get a ton of helpful info.

TAKE THE OPPORTUNITY TO GET SET UP NOW

In the interim, you can get set up for your hydrangea winter protection ritual. I wrote about it in this post. Then when the weather permits, you will be well poised to take the necessary steps to protect your plants.

The frenzied crush of the season is past so now all you have to do is enjoy the gift of mild fall temps to collect leaves, take a hike, enjoy the non-stop flowering of the dahlias and zinnias, and play.

A HEARTFELT THANK YOU

I was blown away by the emails I received from many of you after my last post regarding my husband’s accident/recovery. He is well on his way to a full recovery with physical therapy 2x/week and a ton of home exercises he does independently. Your notes were an unexpected and welcome ray of sunshine for which we both thank you.

Thanks for reading.