How to Protect Your Bigleaf Hydrangea for Winter 

So if you use burlap how do you keep it from getting wet?

Need to cover with a tarp so the burlap does not get wet. The burlap insulate the cold and the tarp prevent water from making everything wet and soggy. But I also have a big wooden box with a cover over it.

Glad you found this video helpful! ☺

@@pwcolorchoice Thank you for sharing

Hello there! So it does sound like you've identified what type of hydrangea it is - which is great! If you want to be sure, you can always send us a photo of it once the leaves come out in late spring/early summer. You can send the photo to our feedback line here, www.provenwinners.com/feedback Here's an article that can help to identify the type of hydrangea, www.provenwinners.com/Hydrangeas-Demystified It is good you didn't prune! Bigleaf hydrangeas flower on old wood. Most shrubs that bloom on old wood should be pruned immediately after they are done flowering. However, hydrangeas that bloom on old wood finish flowering so late in the season that pruning them after they bloom doesn’t leave enough time for them to regrow and form flower buds for next year. That’s why we suggest that you avoid pruning this type of hydrangea except to remove any completely dead branches in the spring once the plant starts to leaf out. You can prune/shape the plant but just know that you will be removing flowers for the next year and if you're okay with that then that is just fine! It could be a good idea to monitor the amount of sun the plant is getting because that could be a cause for the longer, weak stems. Here's a helpful article that talks about pruning the different types of hydrangeas, www.provenwinners.com/learn/care/how-prune-your-hydrangea I hope this all helps! :)

@@pwcolorchoice thank you so much for your answer and for all the great resources. I'm saving this email for future reference. Thanks again!

@@PBarrPrince Of course! Happy to help :)

The difference between using shredded vs. un-shredded leaves would be that the shredded leaves could become more compact over time. This could cause a few issues - the leaves could become more compact and weighed down over time, exposing the plant more to the cold environment. The leaves could also become heavier and potentially break the stems after getting snow piled on top of them. Ideally it is better to use un-shredded leaves to be safe but if shredded is all you have then I would use those over using none at all. If you have more leaves to use then you can use your shredded leaves as mulch, which is a fantastic use for these. Hope this helps!

@@pwcolorchoice thank-you for this prompt reply; I will use unshredded. 👍🏻😊

in no case should frozen, wet leaves be left on hydrangea shoots, as they can cause fungal diseases, and flower buds are likely to die. Hydrangea should winter in a dry shelter until spring .

At least you have this for future reference now :)

Before the first frost :)

Bigleaf hydrangeas bloom on old wood, so when you prune the plant you are potentially cutting off some of its flowers buds. You may shape the plant if you wish but know you may be removing some flower buds. I wouldn't recommend pruning before winterizing as you could be leaving the plant more exposed to the cool winter temperatures.

@@pwcolorchoice makes sense! Thanks again for your advice.

Yes this will still be helpful. The idea is to give the buds as much protection as possible and give them the best chance of surviving the winter. Snow can help keep the buds more insulated so if you don't get as much snow this year, then wrapping them can help accommodate for that. If you do get that amount of snow or more, then you will just have more insulation. Happy gardening!

It is safest to wait until the threat of frost has passed to unwrap them :)

It isn't necessary to do this but will help ensure you keep the flower buds safe on the chance that you get cooler temperatures. :)

@@pwcolorchoice Thank you!

It would be okay to lift the branches up and tuck them into the cage as long as you aren't breaking the branches or straining them too much. To help secure them inside of the cage I would suggest filling as many gaps as possible with the leaves so that it helps support the branches inside of the cage.

Thanks so much! Your Limelights and Little Lime hydrangeas are panicle hydrangeas that bloom on new wood, so you don't need to protect any buds over the winter. As for your Twist and Shout hydrangea, that is a bigleaf hydrangea that blooms on old wood and it would benefit from wrapping that over the winter :)

@@pwcolorchoice thank you. I appreciate your response.

@@True-crime-junkie You got it! :)

Yes they're all okay, Oak leaves are great because they help keep the plant more dry but I would try to avoid using too many walnut leaves to be safe!

Great question! Yes, you can! You want to make sure that there is still some airflow so that the plant doesn't get too wet while it's covered ☺

@@pwcolorchoice Great, thank you very much, i will try this for this winter lol

@@edwardgyu7990 Always happy to help! Winter can be pretty brutal in some places so having some extra protection isn't a bad idea 😄

Hello there! As Endless Summer isn't a Proven Winners introduction, we can't offer specific insight on that plant. It would be worth reaching out to that brand to get their best advice on your particular situation. Speaking generally about bigleaf hydrangeas though, I can say that it's not too late to plant them in the ground for your area. If you protect it over winter outdoors, we don't recommend adding the burlap.

You want to do this before the first frost in order to protect your flower buds :)

Panicle hydrangeas bloom on new wood so you don't need to use this method on them.

Hi Amanda! No, you don't want to prune before wrapping your hydrangeas because you will be removing the flower buds for next year.

@@pwcolorchoice What if you have dead flower heads left :s .... I wasn't sure when to prune them so the flower heads are still hanging on (now dried out) as it's end of november.

@@nataliebozinovski You can just leave those on the plant! Or if you prefer to cut the dried flowers off you can use them for a nice arrangement. Just be sure not to fully prune the plant as you will be cutting off flower buds for next year.

@@pwcolorchoice Thank you!

@@nataliebozinovski Of course! 🌼

Yes, absloutely! Just make sure to keep it more loose so it doesn';t compact down too hard and get moldy :)

Yes, you can do that! I would just recommend drilling holes into the garbage can to allow for a little air flow :)

@@pwcolorchoice Thank you so much for your informative information !!

@@shirleybishop4470 Of course! Always happy to help :)

a plastic bucket or container will only attract cold . the flower buds of your hydrangea will not overwinter.

@@vietriks A plastic bucket or container won't attract cold - what you would want to avoid is any plastic wrap or something that would directly touch the flower buds as that could cause damage or end up freezing to the buds.

Yes, you want the hydrangea to be completely dormant :)

Yes, you can see the results in this follow-up video ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-Gn4EpDqL-IY.html

Do you have a link for the summer update she mentions at the end of the unwrapping video?

This was filmed in USDA zone 5 :)

Totally get that! Panicles are beautiful and easy-care ☺❤