Posted on January 16, 2005 at 10:10:19:

Question: we live in an area that we get a lot of snow and would like to know what to do to care for the hydrangeas so we will not loose them

Answer: Best to mulch only after the ground goes dormant and has a crust of ice on it. If you mulch too early, you stand a chance of rotting the plant due to creating a greenhouse effect in the mound of mulch. Mulch should come up about a foot over tthe surface soil.