Hydrangeas require some care in the fall to ensure they remain healthy and produce blooms next year. Here are some tips from the search results:

• Deadheading: Remove dead flowers from the plant just below the bloom or leave them on the plant into the winter. Most dried hydrangea flowers break off sometime in the winter and any that remain on the plant can be removed in the spring.

• Pruning: Prune fall blooming hydrangeas, or old wood bloomers, after they bloom in the summer. If you prune old wooded hydrangeas in fall, you are cutting off next seasons blooms. Summer blooming hydrangeas, or those that bloom on new wood, are pruned in the fall, after they stop blooming.

• Fertilizing: Fertilizing hydrangeas is not an essential part of hydrangea fall care, but it is one you can tackle in the autumn if you have the time and energy to do so. A light coating of Holly-tone around the plants will benefit the shrubs when it’s the growing season next year.

• Mulching: Adding a layer of mulch as part of your hydrangea fall care practice is a good idea, especially if you live in a cold climate. Surrounding the plant with a 2- to 3-inch-thick layer of shredded bark, arborist chips, or another mulch is great for maintaining consistent soil moisture and reducing weeds throughout the growing season. The same layer of mulch serves a different purpose in the fall and winter. It helps insulate the roots for winter and slowly adds nutrients.

• Weather protection: Move the pot into an attached but unheated garage or shed when the weather grows cold. One small window is all the light that’s needed. The plant will sit dormant until spring.

• Deer protection: Install deer protection if necessary.

• Clean up: Raking up the hydrangea leaves after they fall is always a good idea. This helps keep disease and over-wintering insects from remaining in the area.

In summary, hydrangeas require some care in the fall to ensure they remain healthy and produce blooms next year. Deadheading, pruning, fertilizing, mulching, weather protection, deer protection, and clean up are some of the practices to consider.