i'm head over heels in love with hydrangeas. this year i add 3 new ones to my yard. throughout the season i learned more about them. my personal favorite would be the twist and shout hydrangea that can be pink or blue. lucky for us it's super easy to grow pink blooms here in utah due to our alkaline soils. there are also a surprising amount of varieties that will tolerate sun. {twist in shout being one that tolerates the morning sun. their foliage turns a gorgeous burgundy with sunlight}. earlier this month i had the chance to have a few hours off one afternoon and i took advantage of that time to bundle up my two favorite hydrangeas in hopes of protecting the buds of next year from frost damage. i saw this idea in my organic gardening magazine for protecting roses and adapted it to bundling up my hydrangeas.
i started with some empty cardboard boxes, cedar mulch and straw.
i folded the flaps on the boxes inwards and tucked my hydrangeas inside them
then i carefully layered the straw and cedar mulch around the hydrangeas. i thought about using some of my fall leaves.... but i didn't want to water log or have it compact around the plant too much.
now they are both bundled up nicely for the winter and i'm crossing my fingers it pays off. during november and december is the time that you'll lose your flower buds for next year. snow is a wonderful insulator, but since our snow falls are few and far between during these two months, it doesn't hurt to give them some extra loving care.
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