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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