Dear Hydrangea Enthusiasts,
Welcome to the July 2005 edition of the Hydrangeas Plus® e-mail newsletter.   July is prime hydrangea month.  Are your hydrangeas blooming?  We hope you're enjoying those wonderful blooms.  Thank you to all the customers for emailing us about their thriving hydrangeas.  The heat in the east isn't good for those hydrangea blooms so water well in the late evening or early morning.  I've been know to throw an umbrella or shade cloth over my new plants just to protect them from the beating sun.

I know I said this before but I can't believe all the blooms here.  The Pacific Northwest is having a wonderful blooming year for our hydrangeas.  I recently spoke at a garden center here in Portland and just on the ride over, I saw over 20 specimens in full bloom.  I had to start counting after I saw the first one.  It was a bountiful Blue Wave that covered one side of a quaint cottage in NE Porltand.  I also saw the bluest, blue hydrangeas I've seen in years.  It was a genitian blue - the blue of the Egyptians - and it was almost electric in color that seemed to brighten up a northern facing location.  Also, I saw the most burgundy red hydrangea growing on an Alpengluhen plant.   It's so burgundy it's almost purple.

Our cooler summer is especially a blessing after several hots summers in a row.  The plants are growing and growing.  It always amazes me that the hydrangeas grow so quickly.  I have invested in about 20 new varieties to try this year.  I may have over-bought that a bit this year but you can never have too many hydrangeas!  

How am I going to decide what to offer next year??  We are now growing over 200 varieties of hydrangeas.

Summer Tip - Fertilize those hydrangeas
When hydrangeas begin to bloom, they begin absorbing nutrients and minerals at a very quick pace.  Are you beginning to see yellowing leaves on the inside leaves?  That's the first signs of deficiency.  It is usually a nitrogen and an iron deficiency that affect the inner leaves.  Fertilize!!  Use an instant fertilizer that will be quick acting.  I recommend a liquid fertilizer if you've got it but don't run out and buy anything special.  Anything with a good amount of Nitrogen (the first number in the N-P-K designation for fertilizers).  Use something like 16-16-16 or 20-10-10.  The more fast acting the fertilizer, the faster the leaves will green.

Past Newsletters online
Did you miss a newsletter?  We have put all the 2005 newsletters on the website.  It's on the left side of the website.

Request for information
A customer in Mississippi is having a terrible problem with spider mites this year.  In the Northwest, we don't have this type of trouble with hydrangeas - it's just too wet here.  Does anyone know of a good consumer product to use for spider mites that is safe for hydrangeas?  Thanks!

Organic Remedies for Pests & Diseases
We here at Hydrangeas Plus® are always trying new ways to combat pests and diseases.  We here in Oregon are characterized as 'tree huggers' and environmental nuts but we really aren't that bad once you get to know us.  I found these remedies in a magazine that I'm going to try.  Please let me know if you tried these methods so I may pass them on to others.  With all our pets and children running around, we like to use as much organic products as possible.

Deer - hang shiny metallic strips, scented bars of soap
Rabbits - shake baby powder, flour or garlic powder around plants
Moles - Garlic, castor oil
Slugs & snails - catch them with half grapefruits or melon rinds, keep them away from plants with coffee grounds, eggshells or copper strips
Aphids & mites - spray with buttermilk (mixed 1 part to 4 parts water)
Fungus - chamomile tea, aspirin diluted in water
Black spot & powdery mildew - 2 tsp. baking soda to 2 quarts waters with a touch of  liquid soap to make it stick
Insect bites - rub a little basil or thyme on the affected area
Weeds - vinegar or corn meal (don't fertilize when using these - it will burn plants near by)

Growing hydrangeas in Florida - zone 9
I get many questions from customers wanting to grow hydrangeas in areas where hydrangeas don't usually grow.  Here's a customer in Florida who has successfully grown hydrangeas and gotten them to bloom!!
    I purchased 3-year Nikko Blue and Domotois a year and a half ago.  They are blossoming wonderfully, thanks to your advise. (Before making the purchase, I made an inquiry as to what might grow in the harsh Florida sun  and was told that Nikko Blue, Domotois, and Brestenburg might grow.) They are stunningly beautiful.  I just wanted to tell you that Yes, hydrangeas do grow well in Central Florida.


Commonly Asked Questions

Q:  I have two blue hydrangeas that I bought last year. I planted one in a pot and the other outside. This year the one in the pot has bloomed, but it's pink. I don't know about the other one, since it hasn't yet bloomed. Someone suggested that there's something you add to the soil to give them the color, so I'm hoping you can help me or give me some ideas.
thank you,

A:  To get blue hydrangeas, you need acidic soil and aluminum must be present in the soil.  One without the other will not yield blue flowers.  Most soil has naturally occurring aluminum - but not all.

Hydrangeas in containers need two things to be blue - acidic soil (less than 6.0) and aluminum.  If you used potting mix, both these components may be stacked against you.  You can add aluminum sulfate to the container but be very careful, too much of the aluminum and you will kill the plant.  We sell aluminum sulfate on our website and our directions are 1/4 cup per foot of hydrangea around the outside of the drip line. In containers, you'll need to be very careful about the amount. 

Here's the directions;  My general rule for aluminum sulfate is ¼ cup per foot of hydrangea.  This means that for an established 4 foot hydrangea, 1 cup of aluminum sulfate spread around the base of the plant should be adequate.  This assumes a 17% concentration mixture of aluminum sulfate, the most commonly sold concentration.  You may mix the aluminum sulfate in water and dissolve or apply straight to the plant then water in well.  Be sure that the plant has established itself before application.  We don't recommend aluminum sulfate for new plants.  Apply in the early spring when you see the first leaf.  Apply again six weeks later.  If color isn't as desired, add a fall application too.

Q:  I bought the above plant from you last year. 

The plant has really "taken off" and appears very healthy except that some of the leaves on the lower portion of the plant are turning yellow around the edges.  This yellowing then progresses inward until the whole leaf yellows and drops to the ground.

Is this normal or am I doing something wrong? (To date we are having a cool and very dry early summer

A:  I'm so glad the plants are doing well.

The yellowing leaves this time of year is normal.  The plant is trying to set blooms (or already blooming) and it is using lots of nutrients.  Fertilize it.  Nothing special, whatever you may be using for your other plants.  I've also used MirAcid - Miracle gro for acid loving plants or 10-10-10 or 16-16-16 fertilizer.  Continue fertilizing every few weeks or so.  You can use instant fertilizer (like the Miracle Gro products) or a time release product like Osmocote.  Hydrangeas like everything.

Q:  I LOVED your website, found a great deal of helpful information, but would like to suggest a way to "shop" for hydrangeas by zone...it was difficult (and a little sad) to filter through all the plants that won't "work" for me!

A:  My husband (web master) has been trying to write the script to do that but he's having trouble.  And it's irritating him to no end.  Here's a breakdown of zones for hydrangeas by family...

Rated zone 4
Paniculata
Anamola Petiolaris (climbing)
Arborescens

Rated zone 5
Quercifolia
Japonica Coerulea (lacecap)
Schizophragma (climbing)
new wood blooming macrophyllas (we have Dooley, All Summer Beauty)

Rated zone 6
Macrophyllas (lacecaps & mopheads)
Serrata

Also, Endless Summer (patented by Baileys in MN) claims to be zone 4.  I'm not sure I believe that or not but how could a company from MN claim zone 4 without serious testing.

Q:  LAST YEAR, I PLANTED A HYDRANGEA OF THE MACROPHYLLA TYPE. THE PLANT CAME BACK THIS YEAR WITH FULL GREEN LEAVES. HOWEVER, NO BLOOMS HAVE APPEARED TO DATE.  CAN YOU TELL ME WHY THIS IS SO AND WHAT I CAN DO TO BRING OUT BLOOMS?
I LIVE IN THE NORTHEAST.

A:  The most common reason why macrophylla hydrangeas don't bloom is improper pruning.  Most hydrangeas bloom on old growth or last year's wood.   If you cut too much of that old wood off when you prune or you cut that wood too late, you won't get blooms.  See our pruning tips for more info.

The second most common reason why hydrangeas don't bloom is due to cold weather.   The Macrophylla hydrangeas are hardy to about zone 6 or between –10 degrees and zero degrees on the Fahrenheit scale for your Winter low temperatures.  Some varieties are hardy to zone 5.  If your Winter temperatures fall between these temperatures for long periods of time, it would be advisable to protect the hydrangeas to ensure blooms.  Again, the old wood of the hydrangea must survive in order to get blooms the following Summer.  If your hydrangea is dying to the ground every year, consider a hardier hydrangea.

In addition, unseasonably low temperatures after a mild Winter also cause a lack of blooming on hydrangeas. Again, most macrophylla hydrangeas bloom on old wood and if the leafed out plant is actively growing and hit by late Spring frost or an early Winter frost, the buds freeze and the hydrangea won't bloom.

Fertilizing too much can also stunt your blooms.  Too much nitrogen and you get a healthy plant with beautiful foliage, but no blooms.  Use a more balanced fertilizer and see our info about fertilizing hydrangeas.

Finally, hydrangeas need some sun to bloom.  Remember morning sun and afternoon shade is ideal for most Macrophylla hydrangeas.


Q:   Third year in the grown, this Annabelle has not had blooms in two years now. The first year when we bought it there were beautiful flowers. This year, as last, we have beautiful green leaves, look very healthy - except no flowers! We are in Zone 5. I wintered  them under a styrofoam cover to protect from freezing and winds. I water daily, the Endless Summer nearby in the same soil is doing well and the buds are about to bloom.  I used Miracle Grow once this year and recently did a treatment of Blood Meal to neutralize the soil in case I had made it too acidic.  HELP - this plant deserves a better life than the one I am giving it!
thanks

A:  Are you sure that it is the Annabelle hydrangea?  The Arborescens Annabelle is probably the hardiest of all the hydrangeas.  It should bloom no matter what your weather, wind or fertilizer regiment may be.  Pruning and weather is usually the reason why other hydrangeas don't bloom in your area.

Send me a picture of the plant.  I can usually tell if it an Arborescens or a regular macrophylla (like the Endless Summer).

Here's some thoughts about macrophylla hydrangeas and why they don't bloom...

The most common reason why hydrangeas don't bloom is improper pruning.  Most hydrangeas bloom on old growth or last year's wood.   If you cut too much of that old wood off when you prune or you cut that wood too late, you won't get blooms.  See our pruning tips for more info.  The Annabelle and Endless Summer bloom on new wood.

The second most common reason why hydrangeas don't bloom is due to cold weather.   The Macrophylla hydrangeas are hardy to about zone 6 or between –10 degrees and zero degrees on the Fahrenheit scale for your Winter low temperatures.  Some varieties are hardy to zone 5.  If your Winter temperatures fall between these temperatures for long periods of time, it would be advisable to protect the hydrangeas to ensure blooms.  Again, the old wood of the hydrangea must survive in order to get blooms the following Summer.  If your hydrangea is dying to the ground every year, consider a hardier hydrangea.

In addition, unseasonably low temperatures after a mild Winter also cause a lack of blooming on hydrangeas. Again, most Macrophylla hydrangeas bloom on old wood and if the leafed out plant is actively growing and hit by late Spring frost or an early Winter frost, the buds freeze and the hydrangea won't bloom.

Fertilizing too much can also stunt your blooms.  Too much nitrogen and you get a healthy plant with beautiful foliage, but no blooms.  Use a more balanced fertilizer and see our info about fertilizing hydrangeas.

Finally, hydrangeas need some sun to bloom.  Remember morning sun and afternoon shade is ideal for most Macrophylla hydrangeas.




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Sincerely,

Kristin VanHoose
Hydrangeas Plus®
http://www.hydrangeasplus.com