Dear Hydrangea Enthusiasts,

Welcome!
Welcome to the March 2007 edition of Hydrangeas Plus® newsletter.  The weather is warming up here in the Willamette Valley.  However, last week we had snow, hail, sleet, rain and sun.  All in one day.

Orders are pouring in!  Remember, our new size (one year hydrangeas in a 4" or 3.5") are slowly creeping back onto the 'available for sale' section of our website.  I think most will be ready sometime in April but some may not be big enough until May.

Yard, Garden & Patio show was a huge success!  Thank you to all our new customers!  We are looking forward to a long and prosperous relationship.

RETAIL HOURS and LOCATIONS
I finally did it - set the day and time for our pre-spring retail sale.  Let's hope for some good weather.
Our FIRST RETAIL WEEKEND will be
March 15 (noon - 5pm)
March 16 (8am - 5pm)
March 17 (8am - 5pm)
This will take place at the nursery.  Address is 6543 S Zimmerman Rd, Aurora OR 97002.  Directions can be found here.  Wish me luck!
I'll have one shade/cold frame dedicated to retail.

Next is GARDENPALOOZA.  This is the fifth year for this wonderful celebration of spring.  We will be there with 39 other nurseries.  Don't miss this event!  It will be held again at Fir Point Farms in Aurora.  See here for more details and directions.  Produced by the wonderful Gustin Creative Group.
April 7 (8am - 4pm)

We have set our annual OVERSTOCK SALE to be April 27th-May 12th, everyday, 8am to 5pm

I may add some more days and times.  Check the website under the Help section under RETAIL HOURS for updates.

Hydrangea meetings around the USA!
American Hydrangea Society Spring Meeting - Monday, April 23rd - Atlanta Botanical Garden - Day Hall
7:00PM Registration and Social time  7:30PM TBA

Mid South Hydrangea Society Meeting - Monday, April 9th - Memphis Botanical Garden
7:00PM  Sara Henderson (past president of American Hydrangea Society) - Hydrangeas and their Companions

Blue Ridge Hydrangea Society Meeting - Saturday, May 19th - NC Arboretum
1:00PM TBA

NW Hydrangea Society update - plans are in the works!  Sometime in June.  Stay tuned.

Do you know of other gatherings where HYDRANGEAS are the topic?  Please let us know.  We'll publish your event in our newsletter and get the word out!  Please, just Hydrangea gatherings.  Contact me if you need some information about Hydrangeas.  We provide FREE information.  Hydrangea Lovers, Rock On!

Belgium Hydrangea Conference
All you hydrangea fanatics out there, need an excuse to go to Europe?  Visit the Mallet mecca for hydrangeas?  There is the International Hydrangea conference schedules for 2007 at the Ghent University Botanical Garden in Belgium.  The dates are August 16 - 19, 2007.   All the experts IN THE WORLD will be there for this wonderful conference.  Start saving your pennies - or $100s!  More information to follow about coordinating US registration.  

See more on the website at www.hydrangea2007.be/en

SALE SALE SALE SALE - FREE SHIPPING FREE SHIPPING FREE SHIPPING
Sorry, that was a little annoying.  We doing the free shipping again!  For orders over $150 for orders placed before March 31st.  This is only applicable to online orders and cannot be combined with other offers.  We're beginning to run out of some varieties so order as soon as you can.  Just type FREE SHIPPING in the coupon code section on the first page of the order form (scroll down a bit) once your order for plants and amendments exceeds $150.  For those of you in colder zones, this offer applies to orders shipped anytime this spring (June 15th).

If you have trouble using the coupon (I know it's awful - so sorry - I'm working on that) I will amend your order and send you a confirmation for the zero shipping.  Just write me a note in the special shipping instructions and I'll take care of it for you.

This is only available for the plants available now.  No pre orders for hydrangeas that aren't ready yet.

Commonly Asked Questions

TRANSPLANT Q:  I have two hydrangea plants. The larger one used to be shaded by a flowering tree in the afternoon. However, the tree was diseased and we had to have it removed. This plant is on the southwest side of my house. The hydrangea received too much sun and the leaves and flowers curled up. The smaller plant is on the west side of my house and receives a lot of sun and reflection off our siding. It also seems to have leaves curl when it gets too hot. Is there anything I can do to protect my plants from the hot summer afternoons? Will it hurt to transplant them? My backyard (north side of house) gets very little sun and is fairly wet most of the year. Any advice would be appreciated. I love both of my plants and want them to thrive.


A:  Other than a cooler summer, there really isn't much you can do.  Watering in the AM hours may help.  Mulch the plant in the summer to keep more moisture in the ground and allow less to transpire away.  Transplanting may be a great option.

Now is a great time to transplant hydrangeas.  It isn't difficult.  The plant should still be dormant so transplant risk is minimal.  The root system for hydrangea is generally shallow (the reason why they need so much water on hot days) and could be up to the width of the branch system.  Be sure that you mulch them well after transplant to protect from any late frosts we may have before spring. 
Thank you for your question.

CONTAINER/TREE Q:  Can the Hydrangea Paniculata Grandiflora - Tree Form be used as a patio tree? I guess what I need to know is if this can survive in the right size container? If so what would be the best size to put it in? Thanks for your help

A:  Of course it can grow in a pot.  The trees are about 5 feet tall right now and dormant (2.5 feet of stem and 2.5 feet of branching).  Now is a great time to order the tree, too.  This is the only product we ship bare root so anytime you're ready to put in the container, we should send it quickly.  We can only ship the trees in the spring while they are still mostly dormant (before May, preferably).
 
We grow them in containers 7 gallon  for a few years and hopefully sell them before too rooted.  Try a 15# - that should be big enough for years and years.  

Hydrangeas in general are really great for containers.  Some of my favorite smaller varieties for containers are:  2 to 3 feet - Macrophylla Hornli & Pia  OR Serrata Blue Billow & Diadem; 3 to 4 feet  Serrata Beni Gaku & Intermedia OR Macrophylla Blue Danube  Enziandom Merritt's Supreme Tovelit Trophy Miss Belgium Ami Pasquier
Thank you for your question.

VISIT THE NURSERY Q:  I recently moved to Oregon and noticed that you nursery or the contact number is a "503" area code. i was wondering if you could give me the directions to the nursery so that i can visit and purchase plants instead of having to get them ordered through the mail.
A:  We aren't open to the public right now (next date is set for March 15th).  You are more than welcome to place an order online and we can arrange a time that you can come pickup.  We are here most days.  We will give you 20% off if you come pick up (and obviously, no shipping cost).  Retail prices will be similar.
 
Our address is 6543 S Zimmerman Rd Aurora OR 97002.  

BLOOM Q:  I have a hydrangea that I planted about 4 years ago. It has never bloomed. Any suggestions? Thanks!
A:  The reasons why hydrangeas don't bloom are usually (1) too much pruning (2) improper pruning time (3) weather - too cold or transition to winter/summer too drastic (4) too much shade (5) too much fertilizer.

SIZE Q:  What sizes are the 1, 2 & 3 year old hydrangeas that you ship? Bare root or pot (size?). Many thanks.

A:  Our one year plants are in 3.5" or 4" and they were planted last fall and aren't quite big enough yet.  It's the first year we've offered this 'starter' size and I want them to be perfect - rooted and leafing out.  These will be shipped in the container.  Some are ready now but most will be ready in mid to late April - depending on the weather.  The 2-year plant is growing in a one gallon container.  The 3-year plant is growing in a three gallon.  For the 2- and 3-year hydrangeas, we don't ship the container so we feel it's misleading to say '1 gallon' or '3 gallon'.   These are really the age of these plants so that's what we call them.  

In year's past, the '1-year' plants were the ones growing in a one gallon container.  We renamed them to be in more in line with other companies offering this 'starter' size. 

I hope that helps.  There is pictures on the website if you click on 2-year hydrangea/3-year hydrangea.  It's what they look like in May.  Right now, they are bit dormant but pushing nicely.

We do ship most of the potting mix we use to grow the plant and these are well rooted.
Thank you for your question.

NEW WOOD ABILITY Q:  I tried to check out which hydrangea sets flower buds on previous growth and if any set buds on spring growth. Please elaborate on all varieties. 

A:  Paniculata (except for a variety that I don't grow called Praecox)
Arborescens (all)
 A few macrophylla but this isn't consistent.  Here are the varieties that I have had new wood blooming success (that is, I cut them off and they regenerate blooms within the year)
lacecaps - Fuji Waterfall & Lanarth White
mopheads - All Summer Beauty (best performer for us), Blauer Prinz, Blushing Bride, Bodensee, Bouquet Rose, Dooley, Generale Vicomtesse, Koby, Nikko Blue, Penny Mac
 
There are some other varieties I'm growing but not in production yet... David Ramsey, Oak Hill, Decatur Blue - these are all very similar to All Summer Beauty and Trademarked Endless Summer.
Thank you for your question.

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Sincerely,

Kristin VanHoose
Hydrangeas Plus®
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