Q.I Have A Hydrangea – Bombshell
How do I prepare it for the winter months?
Panicle hydrangeas just require mulching and watering. Maintain 3-4” of organic mulch. Keep the soil at a depth of 4” evenly moist. Once the foliage drops or browns out, reduce the amount of water per watering but continue watering until freezing conditions or freezing of the soil force you to stop. If your area gets a lot of heavy, wet snow, consider deadheading the brown blooms to minimize bending or breaking of brittle bones due as soon as the shrub goes fully dormant. If recently planted, you may not need to prune for a few years. You can eventually prune either when fully dormant in the fall, in late winter or early spring. Green, thin stems can promote stem flopping/arching so if pruning, try to prune 1/3 of the length of each stem or less in order to eventually get more thick, woody stems.
