4 Essential Autumn Jobs for Your Hydrangeas

Autumn Hydrangea Care: 4 Essential Autumn Jobs for Your Hydrangeas

Hydrangeas, a traditional garden, are back in fashion in a big way.

Stunning flower heads in a range of colors and shapes adorn our gardens depending on the variety in summer and fall.

Unfortunately, their beauty does not last all year round.

Once the flowers and foliage have died in the fall, you should head to the garden for your annual Hydrangea maintenance session. These tasks are essential to keep your plants beautiful and to make sure they get even stronger next year.

This maintenance can be tricky, especially when pruning. Complete these five important tasks this fall to set up your plants for the coming seasons.

1. Pick up the remaining flowers

If you are lucky enough to have a few more flowers on the plant, cut them out right away to bring their beauty into the house. Hydrangeas look beautiful in cut flower scenes at any time of the year.

With the onset of autumn, when everything else begins to die, bringing the remaining flowers home will prolong their season a little.

Those who want to extend their enjoyment after two extra days can also dry flower heads.

Dried bouquets currently dominate social media feeds and will look beautiful in any part of your home. Requires much less maintenance than new bouquets and continues to be a stunning decorative part after several weeks in a vase.

To dry, you have several options.

The first and most easy is to put them in a jar without water to dry naturally. Can also be hung upside down in a dry place.

Alternatively, if you are incredibly patient, load them into your car and leave them in the sun for 1-2 days. This method only works in hot weather but is sure to dry the flowers quickly.

2. Prune

Pruning hydrangeas is not an important task and most do not require pruning for many years. However, after a long time, the hydrangeas grow so large that they quickly leave the hand. If you want to maintain your garden meticulously, pruning may be on the cards.

However, pruning is not as simple as cutting with some scissors and some stems. Pruning the wrong variety at the wrong time or in the wrong way will completely destroy your plant's chances of flowering next season.

Only hydrangeas that bloom in the fall should be pruned this season.

Fresh tree flowering varieties include Hydrangea paniculata or Hydrangea arborescens, also known as Fiji hydrangeas and soft hydrangeas, respectively.

Depending on the size of the plant, they can be trimmed, lightly trimmed, or allowed to grow naturally. The choice is yours. These plants are vigorous and will reappear without problems next season.

Summer-blooming hydrangeas, such as the popular Mob head or Oakleaf, should only be pruned in mid-summer. These flowers will bloom on the old tree from the buds that grew in the previous season. If these buds are cut in the fall, there will be no flowers next season.

3. Elegant

By pruning your hydrangea and making it look better, you can begin to tackle the task that almost all gardeners avoid - neatly.

Cleaning around the base of plants can be difficult and laborious, but it is essential to ensure that your plants are healthy. Debris left around the plants, especially in the fall, can become a safe haven for deadly pests and diseases, catching them as they begin to grow back in the spring.

Remove fallen leaves and flowers at the base of your plant. Do this cleaning throughout the season as most parts of the plant will fall off in response to the cold temperatures. As long as the plant is disease-free, you can throw all this debris over your compost pile.

At the same time, remove the branches that are lagging behind the ground. It lifts the plant, improves ventilation in the basement, and prevents the dying or rotting branches from touching the soil and catching any diseases.

4. Mulch

Mulching in the fall may not be necessary for every gardener, but it can be a great help in the right conditions.

Those in colder areas with high frosts or severe winters should mulch as the cold weather sets in. It protects the soil and protects the roots from potential damage.

Mulch retains moisture and prevents weeds from growing, especially when the temperature starts to rise again in early spring.

A layer of organic mulch such as bark chips or straw is best because they will break down slowly into the soil over time. About two inches should be sufficient in most climates, but especially in colder areas that will make the layer slightly thicker.