Do I need to cut a hydrangea for the winter: tips for gardeners?

Hortensia is one of the most popular plants in any garden. They are loved for the simplicity of cultivation and care, as well as for their incredible beauty. This flower can become a worthy decoration for any alpine slide or flower garden, however, most beginner gardeners are often interested in the methods of caring for it in the cold season. Some of the most popular at the moment are questions about whether to cut a hydrangea for the winter, why to do it, and how to properly prepare the plant for this procedure.

Preparation for the cold season

It should be remembered that it is absolutely unnecessary to prepare frost-resistant plant varieties specially for the winter period. They will perfectly survive this period without additional protection. For normal functioning, it is enough to know how to trim a hydrangea for the winter and to soil its base.

For normal preparation for winter, the watering of the plant is stopped at the very beginning of September and all the lower leaves are removed to begin lignifying the shoots. Immediately before freezing, you can cut off all the foliage from the plant, leaving only the tip protecting the kidneys of the flower.

Do I need to cut a hydrangea for the winter and how to do it?

With large-leaf hydrangeas, this procedure is almost not done. Before hiding the plants remove all weak, damaged and broken branches. One should remember about the inadmissibility of removing the tip of the hydrangea. It is from it in the next year will be formed tsvetonos. Also, you should not hurry with the removal of blackened shoots - they can be alive. For complete certainty, you should wait until spring and see if the kidneys will budge on them.

Confidently give an answer to the question of whether to cut the hydrangea for the winter, can not give any experienced gardener. All of them agree that the plant practically does not need this operation. If there is a need to shorten shoots, it is only cosmetic and exclusively for very young shrubs. This is due to the fact that the main flower-nosed hydrangeas are located on the tops of last year's shoots, and by removing them, the gardener will simply destroy the future flowers. That is why very rarely anyone can give an unambiguous answer to the question of whether the hydrangea is cut for the winter.

The primary task in the care of this plant is to preserve all of its stems intact and intact. Particular attention should be paid to the flower buds at the end of the shoots. If they get out or get frozen, then the plant will not bloom and will represent an ugly bundle of branches.

The answer to the question of whether the hydrangea should be cut for the winter may be the following statement: this is done only for the rejuvenation of the plant. In this case, the horticulturist cuts only weak and broken branches, and also moderately thins out the bush so that new replacement shoots begin to form. When the fall procedure is very important to leave the inflorescence of the plant intact, as they can provide the kidneys with additional protection from winter frosts. In the spring, they, of course, can be removed, but it should be done, observing great care and trying not to damage the young escape.