I have an annabelle hydrangea, endless summer hydrangea and a golden lights azalea that I would like to protect over the winter. How is the best way to do this? I have heard of putting chicken wire around the shrub and then filling it up with leaves - but should the leaves be whole leaves, shredded leaves, can it be peat moss? Or is there a better way to do this? Also, do I wait for the ground to freeze to mulch so the plants stay frozen - or do I mulch before that?

Does anyone add extra mulch over any of the specialty coneflowers? I bought some Fragrant Angel plants this year - and although they are supposed to be zone 3 the chinooks here kill a lot of plants. Would I just pile more of my bark mulch on top of where these plants are - or again do I pile leaves and somehow try to keep them from blowing away?

Snow cover is not reliable here, sometimes there is no snow to even move from other parts of the yard to keep them covered so I need some way that would last until I remove it in spring.

Any advice would be appreciated.

Janet