Adam,

A "sheltered" position is one in which the hydrangea is somewhat protected from the elements, namely wind ie; near a foundation, under a tree canopy, in a corner, etc. However, in zone 5 I think you are going to need much more than a sheltered location to get those babies through the winter alive. Look up/do a search for Hayseedman's thread on "overwintering hydrangeas". It should tell you what you need to know.......yg

Thanks yellowgirl...

I did look that up and it is very helpful.

:-)

Hi kiddo,
All Summers Beauty I think will be at least half hardy for you and I don't know enough about your MEM to comment. Drop an extra bag of raked leaves on top of the shrubs and I bet you will be happy. I am going to try spraying my defoliated hydrangeas ( or at least the top third of the plant) with an anti desicant Wilt Pruf. It can be bought at Mahoneys but is pretty expensive. I will let you know what I think next spring. I have always wanted MEM what is the leaf like?? Katy

Hello Katy :-)

These were plugs I got in the spring that were a couple of dollars each and they have made some sizeable growth. They both bloomed and were pretty but not spectacular. I don't think they have reached their full potential yet. The leaves are medium sized, with a serrated edge, maybe heart shaped, trying to remember...lol. So far one is still green with blossoms on it and the other has stopped blooming and the leaves are turning yellow. I have got them mixed up and don't know which is which. [g] I hope there is still a tag in the container.

I was thinking of putting a plastic milk crate over them packed with leaves. Good idea? Bad idea? Not sure I understand the reason for the wiltproof. My leaves drop in the winter, don't yours?

:-)
Thanks

Hi Adam,
Yes my leaves drop but with my hydrangeas that bloom on both old and new wood I am hoping to add protection to next years buds/blooms with the anti desiccant. I really have quite a bit of wind damage through out the winter and early spring without the protection of snow cover. As I understand it these anti desiccants are primarily paraffin. I am thinking that sometime prior to winter solstice I will spray the leaf less shrubs. I have already sprayed a number of evergreen shrubs that are prone to wind damage in my yard. The product is most often used on shrubs after they have been transplanted to help prevent moisture loss. Wilt Proof also suggests using it on your Christmas tree and cut greens. Ill let you know what I think. Katy

Hi Katy.. :-)

So are you talking about Endless Summer? Are there other hydrangeas that bloom on old/new? We got a freeze over night and all the leaves on the ASB and MEM dropped. If I wanted to use the wiltproof was I supposed to do it BEFORE a freeze?

I want to mulch them well, and I wondered, can I overdo it? I was thinking of packing leaves around them with an overturned plastic milkcrate to hold them in place, which should allow for good air circulation. Is that going to work, or cause a problem? Am I supposed to wait until the ground freezes before mulching?

Thanks
Adam

Adam,
I think your plan of leaves and a milk crate is perfect it is a great example of Yankee ingenuity, please do not change a thing. I might also put them up against a northern wall or against the north side of your house if you can as this extra deep shade offers a little help in the spring when temperature fluctuations fool hydrangeas into trying to bloom too soon. After all the extra care you are giving them this fall try not to be too tempted next spring to remove the milk crate before the danger of frost is gone. I am sorry that I seem to be offering you nothing more than confusion, I am afraid it stems from pure laziness on my part I am just looking for the most blossom with the least effort. I am not offering any extra winter protection to my Endless Summer hydrangeas as all the market hype (and the reason I paid the extra $10.00) on that variety has been based on its winter hardiness. I am thinking though that your little baby Endless Summer may benefit this winter with extra protection (leaves and a milk crate) as its root system may not have had enough time to establish before the ground freezes. As far as my experiment this year with the anti desiccant Wilt Proof I am waiting until all of the leaves drop which now that we have had our first frost I am guessing should be sometime in early December probably the same day that I bring home my xmas tree which I am also spraying with Wilt Proof. I am hoping that it will help the buds retain the moisture it typically looses from high wind damage. I have already sprayed a number of evergreen shrubs that are often damaged by the wind as well as the many shrubs that I transplanted this fall to help with transplant shock. I thought it was pretty expensive so you may want to wait until I report back to you this spring.
Now for the confusing part, most macrophylia hydrangeas will bloom on old wood and new wood but there are different variables in different varieties in different zones. The two biggest variables are winter/spring damage to the buds on old wood and how early/late in the season the new wood develops buds. Often in late March early April we will have a warm day which of course in New England is always followed by weeks of high winds and freezing cold repeat this weather pattern over a few months and you have a typical spring. On a hydrangea that opens its buds at the first hint of a warm day the buds on the old wood will typically be damaged and lost by the cold or in my case (I think) the wind. Keep in mind sometimes you might only loose some of the buds on old wood (typically the top third of the shrub is more vulnerable), a good example of this is shown on the Pia hydrangeas in the photos of my front garden. Now if a variety will develop buds on new wood early enough in the growing season but not too early to get damaged by the late spring frost (like Niko) you would still have blossoms that year regardless of what happens with the old wood. So for me most years I dont have old wood damage to my Nikos as a result I have both new wood and old wood blossoms. I hope I have explained this correctly. Katy

Hi Katy...

Sorry to take so long to get back to you. I know you understand how that goes. [g] Okay, so the milk crate idea is great. I already planted the two you gave me, so the crates will have to go over them in place.

You are not being confusing at all. And as for trying to do the least for the most result, that is not lazy, that is smart! There are only so many hours in the day and many claims on our energy. I am not planning on providing winter protection in preceding years either, I thought as you did, that since they are so small, I will give them a little more this year. Don't want to lose those beauties! [g] On the Wiltproof, I think I will wait and see how you do with it.

Thank you for expaining what no one ever explained to me before about the macrophylias. That explains why a few years I didn't get a lot of blooms but I got a few around the bottom.

Two last questions. Should I wait until the ground freezes before I put the milk crate/leaves over the baby endless summers? On my All Summer Beauty, which is still in a large container which won't accomodate a milk crate/leaves set up, should I plant it in the ground now? and cover it that way, or should I put it in a smaller container and put it on the north side and cover it there.

Sorry to make this an endless question on these hydrangeas..lol. I am noticing about myself that I have become too compulsive about not wanting to throw away a plant. I specifically bought those two hydrangeas so I could not worry about whether they made it through the winter and now I am just fussing about it! *sigh*

Thanks Katy..
:-)
Ann

Ann,
Sorry for the delay, I don't think at this point it matters very much if you wait until the ground freezes to cover your baby ES. My ground typically freezes some time close to winter solstice. So that it doesn't get lost in the hustle of the up coming holidays you might want to do it when you have a chance. Concerning the 'All Summer Beauty' I think you might be better off getting it in the ground even if the site is just temporary until spring. I think one of the things I love most about gardening is trying to stretch the limits I will keep my fingers crossed for you. Katy

Katy...

Thanks very much, I am all set now. I will keep my fingers crossed too and hope they all make it through the winter and yours too. Hope you have a nice Thanksgiving and appreciate all the experienced help. :-) Ann