- Plate hydrangeas planted in the garden overwinter
- Overwintering plate hydrangeas properly in the bucket
- tips and tricks
Plate hydrangeas are much more frost hardy than farmer's hydrangeas, for example, which gives them an advantage, especially in cold winter regions. Nevertheless, the shrubs should be in a sheltered location and provided with suitable winter protection.
The older your plate hydrangea, the less sensitive it is to frost
Plate hydrangeas planted in the garden overwinter
The following applies to plate hydrangeas planted in the garden: the older the plant, the less sensitive it is to frost. It is better to leave young plate hydrangeas (especially in the first two years) in the pot or dig them out in autumn and overwinter them in a cold house. Older specimens are heavily mulched, for which you can very well use straw, leaves and / or compost as well as brushwood or fir branches. However, it is important to protect the flower buds from freezing, especially when the temperature is below zero and during long periods of frost. Otherwise, the flowering will simply fail in the following year.
Protection by leaf litter
A thick, dry bed of leaves offers good protection. The best way to do this is to place a wire mesh stand ($14.99) around the plant and pour in leaves mixed with straw. The wire mesh prevents the leaves from simply being blown away. You can also cover the bushes with bast mats, with leaves thrown in between offering additional protection from the cold. Winter protection is removed once the ground is no longer frozen in spring.
Overwintering plate hydrangeas properly in the bucket
Plate hydrangeas that are cultivated in a tub of less than 40 to 50 centimeters should not have to spend the winter outdoors. Instead, they are wintered under cold house conditions - that means frost-free, cool and bright - in the house, in the apartment or in the greenhouse. If you don't have a bright place available, the plant can also go into the dark basement if necessary - provided it is supplied with sufficient light from a plant lamp (€21.99). Larger pots can remain outside, but should be protected from the cold with mats, fleece or similar.
tips and tricks
The plate hydrangea varieties "Hydrangea serrata var. koreana", which has excellent winter hardiness in a sheltered location without direct sun, and the pink-violet flowering variety "Veerle" are considered to be particularly hardy. The latter also impresses with its strong autumn colors.