Autumn Care Guide for Hydrangeas

Here’s a detailed guide on what to do with hydrangea plants in autumn, to help you prepare them for winter and ensure beautiful blooms next year:

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🍂 Autumn Care Guide for Hydrangeas

Hydrangeas are hardy and resilient plants, but a little autumn care goes a long way in keeping them healthy and vibrant. What you do in autumn depends on your climate and the type of hydrangea you have — but this guide covers general best practices.

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🌸 1. Assess Your Hydrangea Type

Different types of hydrangeas have different pruning and care needs:

• Bigleaf (Hydrangea macrophylla) – Blooms on old wood (last year’s stems).
• Oakleaf (Hydrangea quercifolia) – Blooms on old wood.
• Panicle (Hydrangea paniculata) – Blooms on new wood (this year’s growth).
• Smooth (Hydrangea arborescens) – Blooms on new wood.
• Climbing hydrangeas (Hydrangea anomala) – Blooms on old wood.

Knowing this determines how much (if at all) you should prune in autumn.

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✂️ 2. Pruning (With Care)

• For old-wood bloomers (Bigleaf, Oakleaf, Climbing)
  Do not prune in autumn — you’ll remove next year’s flower buds.
  Only remove:
  • Dead or damaged wood
  • Spent blooms (cut just below the flower head)
  • Crossing or diseased branches
• For new-wood bloomers (Panicle, Smooth)
  You can prune these back in autumn if you prefer, though many gardeners wait until late winter.
  • Cut back stems by about one-third to shape the plant.
  • Remove any dead or weak stems at the base.

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🍁 3. Clean Up the Area

• Rake and remove fallen leaves and petals from around the base to prevent fungal diseases and pests.
• Check for signs of powdery mildew or leaf spot — remove affected leaves.

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🌿 4. Fertilizing

• Stop fertilizing in late summer.
  Fertilizer encourages soft, new growth that can be damaged by frost.
• If you haven’t yet, apply a slow-release, low-nitrogen fertilizer (like 5-10-10) early in autumn — no later than mid-September in most climates.

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💧 5. Watering

• Continue watering until the ground freezes.
  Hydrangeas need consistent moisture to go into winter strong.
• Mulch around the base (2–3 inches deep) to help retain moisture and regulate soil temperature.

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🪵 6. Winter Protection

As temperatures drop:

• Apply mulch or leaf cover (5–8 cm) around the base to protect roots from freezing.
• In colder regions (zones 3–6):
  • Build a “cage” of chicken wire around the plant and fill it loosely with dry leaves or straw.
  • Or wrap the plant loosely with burlap (especially Bigleaf hydrangeas, which are frost-sensitive).

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🌸 7. Optional: Dry or Save Blooms

Hydrangea flowers can be dried easily:

• Cut blooms when they’ve just started to fade and feel papery.
• Place them in a dry vase with no water, or hang them upside down in a cool, dry place for 2–3 weeks.

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📅 Quick Seasonal Checklist

Task	Early Autumn	Mid Autumn	Late Autumn
Light pruning (dead wood only)	✅
Clean up debris	✅	✅
Water regularly	✅	✅	Until frost
Mulch base		✅	✅
Protect from frost			✅

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