Dear Hydrangea enthusiasts,

 

Welcome to the first newsletter of 2011 for Hydrangea Plus®.  I can’t believe its 2011 already.  I can say it is officially 2011, I have actually begun to write 2011 on my checks.

 

The nursery is abuzz with activity albeit indoors thanks to the brisk 30 degrees.  Our website and Facebook account are staying active.  Get your orders in soon before I run out of the special cultivars.  The cold weather isn’t hampering the gardening spirit, thankfully.  Come on spring, hurry up!

 

What’s Happening here…

Busy happenings here at the nursery – calendar is crazy until June!  I finally have a chance to sit down and write our newsletter in between my other tasks.  We are busy here at the nursery and the VanHoose abode.  We are recovering from the Yard, Garden & Patio show last weekend.  We have a first full week of shipping wholesale and mail order hydrangeas this week.  It happened so fast.  My plant orders have begun to arrive.  I’ll be picking up the 1 year plants in a few weeks as well as some new cultivars of hydrangea to test. 

 

The Yard, Garden & Patio show was a huge hit.  Over 24000 people came to the show in Portland on a glorious President’s Day weekend.  Plant geeks were awed, amazing art was showcased, some great gardens constructed in the middle of the convention center in just three short days were incredible.  We had a great time chatting with our customers and making new friends.  Thank you all for coming!!  If you missed out on our great plants, our retail weekend is coming in March.  It will be March 18th & 19th here at the nursery.  We’ll have one year, two year and three year plants of most of the cultivars.

 

Our display garden is coming together nicely.  David has been tirelessly working to get the paths in place.  Our lower area is still too soggy to plant a thing so the final hydrangea area will have to wait a month or so.  My boots get stuck in the mud every time I try to walk down there.  So far we have 130 hydrangeas placed in the garden so there will definitely be something to look at this summer.  I will give you a better time frame for our open June dates once I see what the hydrangeas do this spring.  It’s always a guessing game, when will they bloom!

 

We are expecting some super cold temperatures this week.  Down into the mid 20s and most likely a chance of snow.  I know you folks in the east are rolling your eyes at me because snow has become a taboo word for you all.  Luckily, the days will be warming up to 40 degrees so the plants will be just fine under cover.  

 

Other than this cold front moving in, Mother Nature has been very kind to us this pre-spring.  Plants are looking great and we’re ready for a great hydrangea year.

 

Hydrangeas Plus® Catalog (X)

We didn’t produce a new catalog this year so please use your Volume 10 again this year.  No change in the prices of hydrangeas but I am offering four new varieties.  Please check them out!  http://hydrangeasplus.com/New-Varieties-2011/ 

 

If you didn’t get a catalog, you can still order one via mail.  The charge is $5.  Order on line (at http://www.hydrangeasplus.com) or send me a check to

Hydrangeas Plus®

PO BOX 389

Aurora OR 97002

 

I did put the PDF on the website and you can order a download version on the catalog.

 

Spring Retail Hours – BIG BIG SALE

We are planning our retail weekend for March 18th and 19th.  Let’s hope for some good weather but we’re under cover in the first three greenhouses so don’t worry about getting wet.  I will have the 1 year, 2 year and the 3 year plants as well as the Paniculata trees.

 

March 18th – 10am to 5pm

March 19th  – 10am to 5pm

Our address is

6543 S. Zimmerman Road

Aurora OR 97002

 

http://maps.google.com/maps/place?hl=en&client=firefox-a&hs=kOv&rls=org.mozilla:en-US:official&channel=s&biw=1280&bih=741&prmdo=1&bav=on.1,or.&um=1&ie=UTF-8&q=hydrangeas+plus+aurora+oregon&fb=1&gl=us&hq=hydrangeas+plus&hnear=Aurora,+OR&cid=16000824001566268628

 

New aluminum sulfate product

I have a great now product for turning  your hydrangeas blue.   And it’s called Hydrangeas Plus® Blue.  Easy to remember!  Here is a link, http://hydrangeasplus.com/Hydrangeas_Plus_Blue.html

This is some revolutionary stuff.  It’s for outdoor use only but still a great product.  This aluminum sulfate is coated with a polymer that will break down slowly, releasing the aluminum and the sulfate slowly and will eliminate the risk of damaging your hydrangeas.  We tested the product last year and for the first time, saw purple and blue hydrangeas consistently in our test area.  It’s just great stuff! 

 

Spring tip – fertilizing and amendments

It’s getting close to that time again.  We recommend using a balanced, time release fertilizer that will last 3 to 4 months.  Start the fertilizing when you start to see leaves forming (a little past the budding stage) on your macrophylla hydrangeas.  It would also be a good time to do the soil amending to change the colors of the hydrangeas.  It is aluminum sulfate to get more blue blooms and garden lime or super phosphate fertilizer to keep them more pink or red.

 

We do sell a new aluminum sulfate product (Hydrangeas Plus® Blue – see above) in two pound boxes, Hydrangeas Plus® brand fertilizer in two pound bags and Hydrangeas Plus® lime in four pound bags.  If you order just amendments, I can ship them UPS ground or priority mail in a fixed price box (for cheaper than the shipping calculates in most cases).  The aluminum sulfate $6, fertilizer and lime is $5.50.  I have it all in stock and ready to go now. 

 

Transplanting

I’ve been getting lots of questions about the timing for this task.  Spring is a great time to transplant that hydrangea is getting too much sun or not enough.  I recently heard a great quote from a great lady, ‘if you haven’t moved a plant three times, you’re not trying.’  When they are mostly dormant, the moving of an established plant and its transplanting is most successful.  Most hydrangeas are shallow rooted so it’s not as important to dig deeply as it is to get a lot of the lateral roots.

 

FaceBook and I’m a tweetin’ on Twitter

We are up to about 8500 fans on Facebook.  I try to check the site every day and add a comment or picture once a week.  A little more frequent than my newsletters but it keeps my ideas handy and lets you know real time, what’s going on at the nursery.  You can see pictures and get hints & tips for what you should be doing with your hydrangeas.  Look for discounts to start in March. 

 

Hydrangeas Plus® important dates for your calendar – more details on the website

Here at the nursery

Open House - Retail Sale – March 19th & March 20th

Overstock Sale – April 23rd to  May 7th

Garden Unveiling/NW Hydrangea Society meeting  – June (depending on blooms)

Gardenpalooza, the Tour  – September 11th to September 19th

 

Markets and events where Hydrangeas Plus® will be selling plants and/or speaking

Gardenpalooza (Aurora OR) – April 2nd

American Rhododendron Society convention – May 12th & 13th

Mid-South Hydrangeas Society – October 10th – Memphis Botanical Garden

 

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Sincerely,

Kristin VanHoose

Hydrangeas Plus®

http://www.hydrangeasplus.com