If you are asking questions about hydrangeas, this is really the best place to be ;-) None of the forums are particularly active right now........it's just that time of year! But you will still get responses to your questions.

How you treat hydrangeas in winter depends on the type of hydrangeas you are growing. Big leaf hydrangeas, Hydrangea macrophylla, or those hydrangeas that produce colored mophead or lacecap flowers are most sensitive to winter cold damage and these are most often recommended for winter protection. The vast majority of this type of hydrangea blooms on growth that was produced in the previous growing season(s). Cutting them back to ground level now or at any other time will effectively remove any flowering potential for the coming year. Also, because the buds that will become next season's flowers are already present (although not readily visible) and these are vulnerable to both winter cold and late season frosts, protecting them over winter in colder climates will help to assure a proper bloom season. Oakleaf hydrangeas, Hydrangea quercifolia, also fit into this no prune, winter protect category.

Panicle hydrangeas, Hydrangea paniculata, and Hydrangea arborescens both bloom on current season's growth so they can be pruned as desired, although this task is usually reserved for early spring rather than now. They also tend to be more cold hardy than the previous types so far less concern or need for winter protection.

As to how to protect for winter, there are various methods discussed in the archives of this forum as well as at other sites online. One method that seems popular is to loosely wrap the shrub with chicken wire, then fill this wire cage with dried leaves or straw or other insulating materials.

Hope this helps to answer your questions.

Try FB for hydrangeas. I think most folks have moved on to FB for posting.

Here is one for the AHS on FB:

AHS on FB

Thanks so much for your help. I'll check out FB. I also thought I'd post a few pictures, in hopes they can be identified, even in their current condition.

Here are three hydrangas. I'm not even sure if they're the same variety. Any ideas would be greatly appreciated.

The leaves will fall off eventually. The blooms can be cut off or you can just let them hang on until they fall off next year.

If you want good fall/winter foliage consider a few oakleaf varieties. While all other hydrangeas have dropped their leaves or have brown leaves like the ones in your photos, the oak leaf are still hanging on - nice and red - purple.

How true. Most of my mopheads and lacecaps have gone dormant this month but the oakleaf leaves are still giving a show too. They are also hardy to Z5. However, choose them carefully oakleafs get quite large (if space is a problem then try some of these "dwarfs" that are 3-5' high only: Pee Wee , Ruby Slippers, Sike's Dwarf, Munchkin, etc) and plant oakleaf hydrangeas in very very very well draining soil.

The pics show round bloom normally associated with H. macrophylla but go to the link below to identify them with some examples of pictures. It is also a good website for reading information about hydrangeas.

Luis

Here is a link that might be useful: Identifying hydrangeas