Hydrangeas will be healthier and stronger in spring if you mulch them (Image: Getty)
Gardeners may not want to venture outside to garden in January, but there are plenty of gardening jobs that need to be done to make sure you have lots of bountiful blooms once the growing season begins.
If you want to stay on top of your so you are not overwhelmed in spring, then now may be the ideal time to add some mulch to your .
Mulching is the simple task of covering the soil surface around a plant with a layer of natural material, which helps protect roots from extreme weather and will also break down to add nutrients to the soil.
The gardening experts at have shared that one of the best mulches to use for hydrangeas is bark, which can help stop any potential winter damage.
They said: “To help prepare growing hydrangeas for winter, add a fine bark mulch to the base of the hydrangea plant.
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Mulching protects plant roots so they are not damaged in winter (Image: Getty)
“Remove the top inch of compost and replace with the mulch to add a layer of protection for the winter season. This not only helps to insulate around plant, this also will protect the soil, and its nutrients, from the inevitable heavy rain.”
In winter, flowers are likely to die due to the roots constantly freezing and then thawing out, which covers the plant in too much moisture and can cause rot.
Mulching hydrangeas will act as a natural insulator – a protective barrier around the plant that regulates the temperature to stop the roots from becoming damaged.
Organic mulches like bark also slowly decompose over time, which helps improve soil quality and adds nutrients like nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium to the soil to encourage healthier blooms once spring arrives.
What is fantastic about mulching is that it also helps smother weeds near your flowers so there will be fewer unwanted plants taking nutrients away from your hydrangeas.
This is a simple way to reduce plant stress as it helps reduce temperature shock and nutrient deficiencies and keeps weeds away, helping you grow robust hydrangeas.
One of the most popular mulches is bark as it looks good in gardens as well as being pratical (Image: Getty)
The best way to mulch hydrangeas in winter
All you need to do is apply a layer of mulch that is five centimetres thick around the soil of your hydrangeas.
Do not apply too much mulch as it can suffocate the roots as water will not be able to penetrate the soil.
Make sure to leave a gap around the base of the plant (roughly 10 centimetres) to allow proper air circulation.
Mulches like bark only need to be replaced once every year since it takes so long to break down.
You will know the mulch needs to be replaced if the mulch layer has thinned significantly and you can see weeds poking through the soil.
Taking the time to mulch hydrangeas will help protect them from the cold and make sure they have the proper nutrients they need to grow so you have big abundant flowers in spring.