I have a golden lights azalea that I planted this spring. I know it is borderline hardy here in my area - but I thought I would give it a try anyways. Here we have a lot of chinooks, so frequent freeze and thaw cycles. I was wondering if this method of winter protection would work. I was thinking of putting up chicken wire like a cage around the plant (not supper tall this year since I wasn't going to spend a fortune since this is an experiment)then I would line the inside of the cage with cardboard to block the wind. After that I was thinking of filling up the enclosure with shredded leaves for mulch. I already have a couple inches of bark mulch over the entire bed, so this would be in addition to that. As far as I know we have never had a problem with voles here - but you never know.

I guess my main question is, is it harmful to mulch and completely cover the plant, or should I just block the wind and just use a couple of inches more of mulch to keep the roots alive? Ideally I would like to keep the flower buds alive - although the shrub turned a beautiful red color this fall and it is almost worth keeping it around just for the nice folliage.