Hydrangeas 'bloom prolifically' with gardening enthusiasts' top tips

With the right care in winter, these plants can have a healthy life in your garden. (Image: Getty)

As we get closer to spring, gardening lovers are keen to put in the prep work to ensure their green spaces are blooming this year. 

Hydrangeas are a much-loved addition to any garden, blooming thickly with deep green foliage. Except many gardeners aren’t seeing these results with their own hydrangeas at home.

With the right care and investment in the winter, these plants can have a healthy life in your future garden, even in the most frigid weather, if you know exactly how to take care of them.

According to Better Homes and Gardens, the best way to start is understanding first and foremost what kind of hydrangea you are planting or growing. 

For example, if you’re noticing your hydrangea isn’t blooming in spring but is in the summer, it may be that it's a smooth or panicle hydrangea.

It’s these variations of the plant that develop flower buds and bloom in the spring, meaning they rarely require tending to in the winter.

If you're hit with a colder winter, it's recommended that you cover up your hydrangeas with burlap (Image: Getty)

Gardening enthusiasts on the Loving Your Garden Facebook page have previously shared their tips after disastrous hydrangea growth in their gardens. 

One woman shared that her plant had grown tall and reached her window, explaining that she “used to make a mistake by pruning it in February and cutting it right down". 

A fellow gardening hobbyist chimed in, adding that "if you prune a hydrangea that flowers on old wood (like mophead hydrangeas) too far back, you will lose flowers for a year".

The gardener added: "To make your hydrangea bloom prolifically and grow larger flower heads on strong, upright branches, hard prune to the lowest pair of healthy buds, creating a low framework of branches.

If you hard prune to the lowest pair of healthy buds your hydrangea will bloom (Image: Getty)

"This usually results in a pruned framework of no more than 25cm (10in) high, but if more height is required, cut to about 60cm (two feet) tall."

In order to protect your hydrangeas in the winter, the experts at Better Homes & Gardens suggest covering them up when the weather hits a colder-than-average temperature. 

The best way to do this is with a loose but secure layer of burlap, which is particularly helpful for hydrangeas that bloom on old wood, such as mop heads, but can prove to be successful even on hardier types during extreme weather periods.

The gardening site also suggests bringing potted hydrangeas inside over the winter season and storing them somewhere cool, like a garage or basement. The plants will turn dormant, but with occasional watering once a month, you can keep the roots moist up until spring.