Winter Protection for Hydrangeas: Why Black Plastic Should Only Stay On Briefly

Q: How long can I leave my hydrangea covered in black plastic without causing a problem?

Only a few days. Remove plastic and any covering when night temperatures are in the high 20s and above.

If left covered much longer, the shrub is susceptible to bud rot.

About Gardening: Caring for Red Hot Poker (Kniphofia): Dividing, Winter Mulching, and Pruning; Winter Cover Crop Care: Managing Frost-Killed Clover for Spring Planting; Final Fall Mowing Height for Utah Lawns; Winter Care for Common Hydrangeas in Atlanta: When to Cover and Which Varieties Rebloom; Winter Protection for Gardenias: Using Frost Cloth Only When Temperatures Drop to the Teens; Hydrangea Winter Bud Freeze: Why Blooms Were Few; Winter Hydrangea Care: Do Nothing Until Spring; Rooting Hydrangea Cuttings in Winter; Moving a Mature Hydrangea: Reduce, Dig, Transplant; When to Remove Straw from Newly Seeded Fescue Lawns

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