Dear Hydrangea
enthusiasts,
Welcome to the February 2012 newsletter for Hydrangea Plus®.
Hello 2012! We are ringing in the New Year around here. 2012 may still be in diapers but we’re gearing up for a wonderful year of hydrangeas.
This winter has been kind to us, knock on wood. Hydrangeas are still dormant but healthy, happy and well watered with our mass of winter rainfall.
What’s happening…
Happy Valentine month. And, a leap year February to boot. Hearts, pink, chocolate. And hydrangeas! Why not give your sweetie a gift certificate from Hydrangeas Plus®?
Social Media
Visit our Facebook page at to http://www.facebook.com/hydrangeasplus or just search for Hydrangeas Plus while in your Facebook account. We had a great discuss about our deer problem. Visit the page and see what our fans suggest to combat deer eating your hydrangeas.
Hint - Specials are announced first on our Facebook page.
Preliminary schedule
for 2012
January 30th – Shipping resumes
February 17th, 18th & 19th – Yard, Garden & Patio Show (Oregon Convention Center – Portland) selling hydrangeas and speaking on Friday, February 17th at 3:30pm.
March 23rd & 24th – Hydrangeas Plus® open house, Annual spring break sale at the nursery
(on the 24th of March, we are hosting three other fabulous nurseries – see details below)
April 14th Annual Gardenpalooza (Fir Point Farms – Aurora, Oregon from 8am to 4pm)
April 27th – May 12th – Annual Overstock Sale at Hydrangeas Plus®, daily
June 23rd – Gardening on the Edge (Newport Middle School – Newport, Oregon)
September 13th, 14th, 15th & 16th – Gardenpalooza – The Tour at Hydrangeas Plus®, daily
See more details on our website.
Garden Fantastica!
Hydrangea Plus is hosting an event here on Saturday, March 24th. Three other specialty nurseries will be joining us on our last day of our Annual Spring Break sale.
Fry Road Nursery http://www.fryroadnursery.com offers a vast collection of hardy fuchsias. They sell other unique wonderful plants, too. This mail order nursery is also must-stop destination for the home gardener.
Sebright Gardens http://www.sebrightgardens.com carries several hundreds of varieties of shade loving plants – not limited to hosta, fern, and epimedium. Their nursery opens in early April so come see a preview of their 2012 fabulous plants. Sebright Gardens is also a mail order nursery so visit their website, too.
Dancing Oaks http://www.dancingoaks.com is a destination nursery nestled in the foothills of the central Willamette Valley and grows unusual trees, shrubs and perennials from all over the world. Their plants are also available via mail order.
Come join us if you’re in the neighborhood. Hours are 10am to 4pm.
Winter Tips for
Hydrangeas
Winter protection for hydrangeas comes in various forms. Many parts of the country have to worry about several winter elements while others shouldn’t be concerned at all. Newly planted hydrangeas should be protected (mulch, mulch, mulch) just to ensure they are well rooted and survive through the winter.
Other experts may disagree on the hardiness for the families in hydrangea but here are my recommendations. Keep in mind the wind chill. This temperature grid is for dormant hydrangeas. Sudden drops to freezing temperatures after moderate cold periods for instance can really cause damage to stem tissue.
Arborescens = hardy to about -20 degrees to -30 degrees
Petiolaris & Quelpartensis = hardy to about -20 degrees to -30 degrees
Paniculata = hardy to about -20 degrees to -30 degrees
Quercifolia = hardy to about -10 degrees to -20 degrees
Serrata = hardy to about 0 degrees to -10 degrees
Macrophylla = hardy to about 0 to -10 degrees
Evergreen hydrangeas = hardy to about 20 degrees
Mulch and burlap wrap can keep the hydrangea warm enough but be sure to wait for leaf drop before covering and mulching to keep fungus and mildew away from the plant. I have received many phone calls and emails about container hydrangeas this month. I recommend moving the containers into an unheated but sheltered area or insulate the containers by wrapping with bubble wrap if temperatures drop below 20 degrees. Just remember to keep those containers moist. Even though the plant doesn’t have green growth, the roots should not be allowed to dry out.
New Varieties for
2012
Macrophylla David Ramsey – New wood blooming mophead will bloom early and full of blue or pink (or somewhere in between). This cultivar has rebloomed for us for several years. We acquired the specimen from Center for Applied Nursery Research (CANR) in Georgia and we love it!
Macrophylla Sadie Ray – Legendary new wood blooming cultivar from zone 5 farmhouse. Paler blue or pink blooms are plentiful. Introduced with description that it has bloomed reliably every year for over 50 years!
Macrophylla Weidler’s Blue – Biggest lacecap blooms begins white and ages pale blue or pink. Fertile florets are pH sensitive and can be vivid blue, pink or my favorite, purple! Blooms come later in the season but long tapered leaves are eye catching.
Paniculata Chantilly Lace – Laciest paniculata we’re seen! Big blooms from this seedling of Tardiva are show stopping. Dark glossy leaves, too. This is a seedling from CANR that almost didn’t make it.
Paniculata Little Lime™ - Compact growing version of the popular Limelight™. Our specimen is staying very compact after 3 years in testing. Other ‘dwarf’ Paniculatas? Not so much.
Very Limited Supply – available later this spring
Quercifolia Munchkin™ - Truly compact (and without much pruning until the deer found it this winter) our specimen grows to just 3 feet. This is a seedling of Sykes Dwarf and is a knockout in the fall with red foliage and deep pink blooms.
Quercifolia Ruby Slippers™ - Like Munckin, this is a great compact cultivar. Size is approximately 4 feet. This is a seedling of SnowQueen and dwarf PeeWee.
Sincerely,
Kristin VanHoose
Hydrangeas Plus®