Hydrangea is a magnificent decoration of the garden. The shrub for a long period saturates the garden plot with various colors. But if in regions with an extremely cold winter climate you don’t think about how to cover hydrangea for the winter, then you can lose this plant because it freezes. This article will discuss how to properly plan for sheltering shrubs. In the case of proper care of hydrangea, the shrub will delight the gardener with abundant flowering for next year.
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Preparing hydrangea for wintering
It is necessary to prepare hydrangea for hibernation in early autumn, so that the bush tolerates winter well.
- In September, you need to feed the plant with rotted cow manure. For starters, it’s best to soak the fertilizer in water, add biofungicides there, and make the mixture through watering, so the food will be delivered to the roots faster.
- In October, it is necessary to apply potash fertilizers under the root of the shrub, and after a week add fertilizers with phosphorus.
- This month, it is imperative to carry out sanitary pruning, while carefully varnish all sections with varnish. The main thing is not to hurt those shoots that will give life to new inflorescences next year.
- In mid-October, it is necessary to remove the old mulch, which lies under the bush, on a warm day. Next, make a solution with biofungicides and spill abundantly on the ground, as well as completely spray the plant. Thus, all pathogenic flora that can destroy the bush is destroyed.
- Further, the entire trunk circle is laid with a fresh layer of mulch.
Attention! As a mulch, you can not use fresh sawdust and beautiful foliage.
- pests can hide in beautiful foliage;
- fresh sawdust has a lot of moisture, they will freeze and cause even more damage to the roots.
Do I need to cover hydrangea for the winter
Experienced gardeners do not argue whether hydrangea should be harbored for the winter? If you leave the plant to its mercy, it is unlikely to be able to be found awakened next spring. Of course, it all depends on the variety and location.
- For example, large-leaved hydrangea, in principle, does not tolerate frosts well, so if there is no opportunity to take shelter, then you should not spend energy and money on its acquisition;
- if you simply wrap the plant with a film for the winter, then it will surely die, because it will not be able to breathe, and the plastic will create the effect of a freezer;
- some part of the root system of the shrub is at the level of freezing, so it is so important to take care of sheltering the trunk circle;
- if pruning is not done, then weak branches will fall off from the frost and the cold will make its way inside the stem, which will completely destroy the plant's ability to recover.
Time frame for the procedure
It is important to observe the correct time periods for such events. Because if you simply cover hydrangea with lapnik during the onset of frost, then there will not be much sense, for comparison you can imagine how a person will be uncomfortable in an autumn jacket in severe frost. The whole point of shelter is to carry out the procedures correctly.
- After carrying out all the preparatory measures, a layer of spruce branches is laid on top of the mulch.
- Just before the frosts, hydrangea is tied with straw, i.e. the trunk is wrapped and lightly tied with a rope on top.
- Then the frame is installed and additionally covered with spruce branches.
- A special fabric is put on top of this structure, covering plants such as lutrasil.
- If the winter is not snowy, then it is worth filling hydrangea with collected snow.
It is important to monitor the weather, and as soon as the cold front approaches the region, immediately take the necessary measures.
The rules of shelter in the suburbs
In the Moscow Region, early preparation of the plant for wintering is provided.
Despite the fact that hydrangea loves moisture, it is better to cover it from autumn rains. To do this, you can sew special caps from the covering fabric and put them on the frame, which will subsequently support the lapnik, covering the plant in the winter. If hydrangea is planted near a barn or a house, then one of the walls can be used as a retaining structure. For this, the frame is made of three walls, and from the side of the barn, a piece of expanded polystyrene can be additionally laid.
How to cover hydrangea for the winter, in the Urals?
In the Urals, frosts reach a critical point, which for many plants is a sentence. Therefore, in this region it is especially necessary to cover hydrangea for the cold period.
- For added protection, the trunk around the lapnik is necessarily covered by a deep bed of goats or rabbits.
- Agrofibre is laid on top of such a protective layer.
- Burlap is put on the branches that need to be bent to the ground, and hay or straw is poured inside.
- Around the bush, a frame is installed where the foam is laid, and on top it is covered with a covering fabric.
It is important to remember that hydrangea in the Urals must be covered before the onset of frost for two weeks, then enough heat will accumulate inside and the plant will save buds and flower stalks.
Shelter Technology in Siberia
For cultivation in Siberia, gardeners usually use frost-resistant varieties of hydrangeas, which survive in heavy snowfalls without additional shelter. But in this case, you can lose the decorative shrub. Hydrangea gives all its strength due to its survival, and it does not remain to create flower inflorescences. Therefore, it is important to cover even frost-resistant varieties for the winter.
- Preparation takes place according to generally accepted rules.
- Further, a frame is constructed around the bush, which can be sewn with roofing material, as well as slate or boards.
Snow deposits will close the shelter well, and the cold will not penetrate inside.
It is important to know that if you have to bend high shoots to the ground, then you can not lay them on the ground. It is necessary to lay some kind of layer.
If the gardener carefully treats hydrangea, then the summer season, its delicate aroma and lush flowering will delight the whole family.