Winter care - Hydrangea & Salvia

Wrigs21

Hi guys 

I have 3 Hydrangea macrophylla Merveille Sanguine currently in pots as not decided where to plant as yet. Would you keep in the greenhouse to winter or leave out? 

I also have a number of Savia Amistad still going strong. Again would you dig up and bring in for winter, quite large now. 

Thanks in advance 

punkdoc

Hydrangea will be fine outdoors.
I dig S.amistad up and put in cold greenhouse.

Fairygirl

Hydrangeas are absolutely 100% better outdoors- totally bombproof 

Wrigs21

Excellent, thanks both 

JennyJ

I left my Amistad outside last year (two of them, in big pots standing against the house wall by the front door under the eaves) and they were fine so I'll chance it again. I don't have a greenhouse so I don't really have a lot of choice. Maybe I'll fleece them if it looks like getting very cold. One of their offspring is in the ground (sandy soil, dahlias and other salvias generally survive the winter) so that one will be taking its chances too, and I gave one to my Dad who lives not a million miles away from @punkdoc, where it tends to be a bit colder and a bit wetter than here although not much over about 20 miles away as the crow flies), so it'll be interesting to see how that one fares. Dad doesn't have a greenhouse either.

Joy*

I agree, hydrangeas are hardy but I do leave the old flowers on to try to give the new buds a bit of protection.  They always look scruffy and I would love to make them look tidy in my tiny garden, by pruning them now, but have resisted it so far. It was much less of an issue when my garden was measured in acres. Has anyone an opinion on this?