19 December 2023 , 15:24
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You can ensure the best blooms possible next year by making sure you complete an important gardening job now.
Hydrangeas are, for many people, the centrepiece of their green space, with the voluminous blooms and vibrant colours becoming the eye-catching crown jewel of any garden, balcony, patio, borders or flower bed.
There are many different varieties of hydrangea, but one thing that they all have in common is that they will elevate your outdoor space with the beautiful flowers they produce each year. To ensure that next year's blooms are as big and healthy as possible, there is the one gardening job you need to do undertake now before the winter firmly takes hold.
As reported by The Express, a keen gardener sought help on what the best practice is when approaching hydrangea care in the colder months on a Facebook group called Gardening UK. The user asked the fellow members of the online community for advice on whether or not her hydrangea plant had died because the once colourful and vivid blooms had turned entirely brown.
"Is this dead?," they wrote, adding: "Difference of three weeks! Is there anything I can do to help it?" Other green-fingered members of the online community were quick to reassure her that the blooms turning brown were entirely normal for this time of year.
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One user explained that this process shows the plant is correctly "hibernating till the spring, just leave it be. Don't touch it after the last frost, then next year cut off all the deadheads. It will be beautiful again by summer."
Another reiterated the same sentiment: "It's just gone to sleep until spring, don't worry it will wake up bigger and stronger, just let it rest now and do absolutely nothing."
While different varieties of hydrangeas do have different needs, generally speaking as we approach the frosts it's best to stop pruning or deadheading the plants - this is because if you do this too close to the frost then the plant can end up damaged by the cold temperatures, and the brown, faded flowers from last season can act as a protective barrier from the frost - per the Royal Horticultural Society.
Instead, these faded blooms should be removed after the last frost, in late winter or early spring. Climbing hydrangeas have different needs, however, and should be pruned after they have flowered in late summer.
Letting hydrangeas rest is the best thing you can do for them at this time of year, but adding further frost protection can also be a good idea: this can be achieved by adding an extra layer of mulch around the base of the plant, or using horticultural fleece to keep the frosts at bay.
Hydrangeas that have been frost damaged can sometimes have brown or black leaves or buds - according to Garderner's World - and if this does happen to your prized plant, you should wait until late spring to prune it to give it enough time to recover.
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