Preparing hydrangeas for winter in the Moscow region: when and how to cover, video

Shelter of large-leaved hydrangea for the winter in the Moscow region is carried out in several ways. Types of preparation depend on the age of the plant. One sheltering structure is not enough to ensure that the hydrangea does not suffer from temperature extremes and severe frosts.

Hydrangea Vanilla Fraze paniculata will decorate any personal plot

Before covering the hydrangea, it is necessary to carry out a number of preparatory procedures. You need to start them already at the end of summer – the beginning of autumn.

How hydrangea winters in the Moscow region

The climate of central Our Country has its own characteristics. December in the Moscow region is characterized by frequent temperature changes, thaws and rains. January and February usually bring frosts and cold winds to this area. In such conditions, hydrangeas need protection.

Large-leaved and tree-like hydrangeas are especially sensitive to climatic surprises. Paniculata are more hardy, but plants 1-2 years old need shelter for the winter, no matter what species they belong to. Plants transplanted to a new place in the fall also need protection.

Hydrangea is native to the Far East, China and Japan. Therefore, plants accustomed to a sharp change in temperature and high humidity adapt quite easily to the conditions of the Moscow region. For example, adult specimens of paniculate hydrangea are able to safely winter without shelter even at a temperature of -40 degrees.

Insulate garden hydrangea in the Moscow region begins from mid-summer, no later than the beginning of autumn. Preparation includes a number of procedures. You can not start sheltering if the plant is weakened and sick. If you neglect the rules of preparation, then later you can lose abundant flowering.

How to prepare a hydrangea for winter in the suburbs

Plants affected by pests and diseases are weakened, they are not able to safely overwinter even with proper shelter. Therefore, the preparation of hydrangeas for winter in the Moscow region begins in the middle of summer and includes a number of activities:

• refusal to use fertilizers containing nitrogen compounds, since they provoke the growth of new shoots, thereby reducing frost resistance; phosphorus and potassium should be used for top dressing from mid-summer;
• at the beginning of autumn, it is worth stopping watering the plant, with the exception of prolonged dry weather at high air temperatures, stopping watering will accelerate the desalinization of branches, which is necessary for a successful winter;
• shortly before the shelter of the hydrangea at the end of the rainy period, you will need to get rid of the foliage on the lower branches, and before the winter season, all remaining leaves must be removed.

In order for the hydrangea to endure the winter well, it is necessary to prune, hill up, only after that proceed to shelter. You also need to remove all branches affected by pests and diseases.

Whether to cover hydrangea for the winter in the suburbs

Among gardeners, opinions on the need to shelter hydrangeas for the winter were divided. Someone, considering the plant to be winter-hardy, is opposed to the use of covering measures. Someone, anxious about their plants, expresses the opposite opinion.

Pruning scheme before shelter for the winter

Among hydrangeas, paniculate species are the most frost-resistant. They are able to withstand temperatures down to -40 degrees without damage. But even paniculate hydrangea of ​​1-2 years of age requires shelter for the winter.

Tree-like and large-leaved hydrangeas are less resistant to winter conditions in the middle zone. Hydrangea varieties such as Invincible Spirit, Bella Anna, Incredibol and Annabelle are less winter hardy – these plants need annual shelter for the winter, regardless of the age of the plants.

The remaining representatives of the tree species do not need shelter for the winter. And large-leaved, characterized by bright large flowers, need special care. Winter is a test for them, so they require increased attention.

Hydrangea does not tolerate drafts and does not tolerate high humidity. In windswept areas, the plant feels bad, this may affect its flowering in summer.

When to close the hydrangea for the winter in the suburbs

Shelter of hydrangeas for the winter in the middle lane is carried out depending on weather conditions. When night temperatures drop to -5 degrees with positive thermometer readings during the day, they start laying branches. It should be borne in mind that tall plants in some cases are laid in stages.

If the bush is tall and the branches are elastic, first bend them to 45 degrees, fixing them with a wire pin. A week later, the branches are bent to the ground. They become pliable.

At temperatures of -8-10 degrees at night, the plant is covered for the winter.

How to cover hydrangea for the winter in the suburbs

In the Moscow region in winter, the soil freezes 1 m deep. Under the snow cover, freezing reaches 0,5 m. Therefore, in addition to sheltering the plants, it is necessary to spud – to insulate the near-trunk circle.

Fallen leaves and sawdust are not suitable for these purposes due to the high risk of pest reproduction and the spread of fungal diseases. Also, decayed foliage attracts rodents that can kill hydrangeas.

Lutrasil and spunbond – non-woven covering materials indispensable for plant protection in winter

The trunk circle is covered with sphagnum, which is subsequently mulched with two layers of humus or compost.

To shelter the bush, spruce branches, burlap (old-style, as it is the most dense and less blown), covering materials (lutrasil, spunbond), plastic wrap are used. For insulation, you can use dry maple or chestnut leaves. They do not rot, retain heat well.

How to cover a hydrangea for the winter in the suburbs

Lutrasil or spunbond non-woven fiber will provide reliable protection against the winter cold of hydrangea. It is necessary to choose materials with a density of at least 60 g per square meter. m. Large-leaved hydrangea will need to be covered with several layers of material: from 2 to 4. This is especially true in snowless winters.

Before covering plants for the winter, it is necessary to carry out sanitary and anti-aging pruning, removing weak and diseased branches. It is also mandatory to remove leaves, flowers and basal shoots. Skeletal branches can be shortened, leaving 1 – 3 buds.

You do not need to cut all the branches at once. Pruning can be divided into several seasons. But the inflorescences must be removed before each winter preparation.

Before wintering, it is worth feeding with the following composition: for 10 liters of water, 1 tbsp. l. potassium sulfate and superphosphate. Enough one-time top dressing.

After dropping the foliage, the plants are treated with a 3% solution of Bordeaux mixture for the purpose of prevention from pests.

After pruning, top dressing and hilling, the branches are bent to the ground, fixing their position with thick wire studs. The ends of such brackets should be deepened into the ground by 15 – 20 cm so that gusts of wind cannot pull them out of the ground.

And only after that proceed directly to the shelter. The shrub is protected by any of the recommended materials, fixing it around the perimeter of the trunk circle with stones or a layer of earth. The material is wrapped around the plant, and tied in several places with a rope or fixed with tape.

Shelter using wire arches

You can make a “case” of burlap. In December, a bag is put on top or wrapped with plastic wrap. When the thaws and rains recede, the film is removed.

Experienced gardeners build structures from metal arcs or plywood to protect hydrangeas. The walls of the box are made double. Between them there should be a layer of air 10-15 cm thick.

Shelter of hydrangea paniculata for the winter in the suburbs

The most optimal protection against winter cold for paniculate hydrangea is hilling + shelter. They do it like this:

1. It is easier to cover a low young plant than others: the branches are tied in the form of a cocoon, spruce branches are laid on top, old tree branches (preferably not fruit trees), roofing felt and plastic wrap. This is enough to safely overwinter. Snow cover will make such a “blanket” even more reliable.
2. Shrubs with high branches are similarly covered. Only they need to be bent to the ground and fixed with wire brackets. Mature plants are spudded and wrapped with non-woven materials.

To protect against the cold, you can build a structure of wire arcs.

Shelter of a large-leaved hydrangea for the winter in the Moscow region

Large-leaved hydrangeas are the most unstable to temperature changes, cold winds and dampness. Therefore, it is necessary to shelter them for the winter.

Mulching the trunk circle before shelter for the winter

Before applying covering materials, pruning should be carried out. Young shoots are shortened by 20 – 30 cm, diseased and weak branches are cut to the base. Remove inflorescences. You can not cut off the leaves with your hands, for these purposes you need to use a pruner.

Next, proceed as follows:

1. Branches are bent to the ground, placing spruce branches or plywood under them to protect them from contact with the soil.
2. Branches are wrapped with non-woven material.
3. They put arcs and cover them with fiber in two layers.
4. Endless Summer needs 4 layers of cover.

Reliable protection is provided by a plywood box. It is easy for craftsmen to build it on a personal plot. The procedure looks like this:

1. After pruning and mulching the near-stem circle, the hydrangea branches are tied with a garden bandage.
2. By the size of the plant, a plywood or wooden box is made. Drop it on top.
3. The bush is covered with dry earth.
4. Close the box with plywood and cardboard.
5. A second, larger one is placed on top of the first box. The voids between the walls of the boxes are covered with dry sawdust. Cover the top with plywood.
6. The box is wrapped on the outside with a covering material, then with a film and tied with a rope.

Shelter of hydrangea tree in the suburbs

Tree hydrangeas, as well as paniculate ones, tolerate the winters of the middle zone quite well. But not all varieties are suitable for growing in the Moscow region. For example, oak and petiolate have very poor frost resistance. Plants do not die in winter conditions, but they cannot please with lush color either.6

The lower edges of the fiber (film) are fixed with stones or a layer of earth

Therefore, when choosing a variety, it is necessary to study information about these plants. Preparation for winter of tree hydrangeas is carried out similarly to that necessary for paniculate.

The plant is mulched with a mixture of peat, rotted manure and earth from the site. With the onset of spring, the mulch must be removed. After pruning, feeding and mulching, if necessary, the branches are bent to the ground and covered with spruce branches, on top of which lutrasil, spunbond or film are laid.

Tips from experienced gardeners

Conclusion

Shelter of large-leaved hydrangea for the winter in the Moscow region is the key to future lush flowering throughout the summer. The preparation process only at first seems complicated and painstaking. But in response to such care, the plant is responsive: it will delight for a long time with its lush flowering and transform the backyard.

With the correct preparation of hydrangeas for winter in the suburbs, the video will introduce: