I too have rooted some cuttings and need advice. I am in Zone 4 USA.

Go ahead and plant those new cuttings in the ground. Plant them in light shade, mulch and keep them well watered and watch them grow!

Tender first year cuttings will probably not make it through the winter in ground in cold climates. I'd wait till next spring.....yg

I'm in zone 6b with new rooted cuttings as well. I haven't tried it yet but it was recommended to plant them close to the foundation of my house and then cover them with bottomless plastic milk jug. Then, mulch heavy right up to the jug.

Is there a down-side to keeping them as house plants for the first winter?

My understanding is that hydrangeas don't make good houseplants for extended periods as the air (especially the artificially heated air) is not humid enough. I think garages or basements are usually where people store their overwintering hydrangeas.....yg

I think I would try them outside in TN but not up in Z4. I usually start cuttings about this time of year here in Nashville and overwinter them in the garage. I let the leaves fall and the plant go dormant and then store them in my cool and very dark (no windows)garage till spring, hardening them off gradually as the weather warms. I have always been very careful to keep them dormant until spring so I don't know about overwintering them as houseplants. If I had cuttings putting on lots of new growth right now in Z7, I would plant them out, water well, stop fertilizing in about 3 weeks and mulch them good (not hardwood mulch!).

Yellowgirl is right, as a houseplants they would need regular misting which in most cases not practical, unless you have heated greenhouse.
IMO, in z4-5 first year rooted cuttings have no chance to survive winter in ground.
Even here, in 6b I prefer to overwinter rooted cuttings in pots in garage. Ground layered cuttings would have a better chance in that respect if planted now.

I guess I'll scrap the house plant idea!

For those of you who over-winter cuttings in pots in the garage, what is the process? Is the garage heated? Do you do anything special? Mulch? Water every so often?

Thx.

I want the plants to stay dormant AND alive so they get a little water but not much else. My gagrage has no windows and stays about 40-45 degrees here and those conditions seem ideal. When things start to warm up in the spring, I harden off and plant out.
My experience suggests (not conclusively!) that hydrangeas will put on some root growth in these conditions over winter, so I want to make sure they have some room to move and that they have enough moisture to stay healthy.

I root cuttings in 1G pots in potting soil, then repot them in 2G just before winter starts in 50/50 mix of potting soil/native clay and throw some mulch on top. I do not water them in a winter, but throw some snow (if available) on the top of the soil from time to time. My storage place is unheated poolhouse where temperature on average only 5F higher than outside, but since it's completely wind protected, discecation issue is eliminated and most of the cuttings bloom the next year.

Does anyone know how long it takes for a cutting to bloom?

IN MY ZONE, if you propagate using the brick method, next spring you should see some blooms. Luis

Here is a link that might be useful: Propagating Info

I think it really depends on the plant. Some of my newly rooted 4" Endless Summer cuttings were setting buds. I just clipped them off. That plant is a blooming machine.

Thanks for the tips.

Hi all, I registered here just to get the answer to this. What I'm wondering is if, since I live in a very moderate environment (bay area, CA), do you think my first year hydrangeas would live though their first winter in the ground? I'm in sunset zone 15 (boarder of 17) and it rarely freezes here.

I'm a VERY new gardener and I'm kinda just trying the easiest route for all my first-time experiences. I'm actually very amazed that I took cuttings from a hydrangea and they are rooting in pots in my garage. I'd love to stick one in the ground this fall, but I'll keep in it my garage if that is better. Either way, should I do anything to prune it back when it goes dormat? About the only resources I've been using is my compost and potting soil and rooting hormone. I'm not even sure what all the other terms mean that I've been reading here. ;-) Oh yeah, my garage does have a window.

Thanks!

catankgirl,

You should have no reason not to plant any time of year you like....yg

I have had no problems in zone7 with my cuttings making it through winter. All these cuttings were rooted and well established in pots before fall. Last year, I sunk my pots with my rooted cuttings in them into soil/mulch for the winter. All came back and did great this year.

This is my 3rd season to propagate my hydrangea cuttings. My 1st season just had blooms this year. I potted mine (year 1 and 2) and kept on covered porch til this year and put them in the ground a couple weeks ago. I just covered the pot and let them go dormant.