Dear Hydrangea Enthusiasts,
Welcome to the October 2006 edition of the Hydrangeas Plus® e-mail
newsletter.
Isn't October a beautiful month? This month we celebrate Marissa's
second birthday. We're having a wonderful fall here in the Willamette
Valley. If you ever visit Oregon and you don't mind the chance of rain,
this is the one of my favorite times of the year. Many of our agricultural
crops are ready this time - and my favorite - Apples!
We have some gorgeous looking plants growing in the nursery. I walk
the nursery every week and I'm just so sad it's October. These plants
look fabulous. If you need some hydrangeas, now is a great time to plant
hydrangeas. But, fall planting isn't for everyone. My rule of
thumb is that if you have 4 to 8 weeks before you first hard frost (depending
on your soil type), you can still plant. Those of you in Zone 6 are
probably on the bubble but many forcasters are predicting a mild winter for
all. Wouldn't that be wonderful!
If you're unsure about fall planting, call your local garden center or
agricultural extention office. As always, mulch your plants for the
first few winters to be sure the roots get established before winter and
maximize root growth. A recent article in (gardening magazine - no
free advertising here) said that planting shrubs in the fall is a more successful.
Transplanting in the fall for our area is 99% successful versus the
spring at just 70%. Wow!
Hydrangeas are coming back in stock!
Most of the hydrangeas are now back in stock! Order now to ensure
your first choice will be available for fall or spring shipping.
We are short on a few varieties for this shipping season. We hope
to have them back in stock for next year. Sometimes even we have trouble
propagating varieties.
I have replenished our inventory of hydrangea trees but remember, the Paniculata
trees are available for shipping in the SPRING ONLY. Local customers
may pick them up, too. Just email or call ahead and we can have them
ready for you. These are the only plants that we send bare root so
it's very important that we ship them while they are still dormant. The
Paniculata varieties of hydrangeas are not sensitive to frost so as soon
as your ground is defrosted enough to plant, we can ship them.
Thank you for your patience. If you'd like to be notified when
a particular variety and size is ready, just go to that product online
at http://www.hydrangeasplus.com
and enter your email address after clicking on the 'Keep me updated' button
and we'll send you an email when it's ready.
Tip - Fall and powdery mildew
It is that time of year that the powdery mildew is upon us. The mildew
is more prevalent when you have warm days and cool nights. If it occurs
in the fall, the leaves will fall off eventually and the fungus will go
away in the winter months. But, it is still annoying and you don't
want it to spread.
If you experience powdery mildew in the spring or in an area where hydrangeas
don't go completely leafless, you may spray a phosphate or homemade baking
soda product or other fungicide. The best acting products contain
sulfur, fenarimol, dinocap, triadimifon or benomyl. Refer to the instructions
on the package to determine method and timing of application. Weather
conditions such as temperature and humidity are important factors when determining
when to apply fungicides..
It is most important is keeping the mildew from spreading. Remove
the infected leaves or any that have fallen from the plant. Remove
mulch and replace with clean mulch. Remove any unnecessary vegetation
away from the base of the plants. If you caught it soon enough, apply
olive oil or horticulture oil to the leaves and rub away the mildew.
It may leave black spots if the mildew has been on the leaf for a while.
I read somewhere that one plant can generate 100,000 spores in just
one day so catching it early is best.
Here are some other tips for fighting Powdery Mildew:
- Keep the area under the plant free from fallen leaves and debris
- Limit watering just to prevent the plant from wilting (don’t overwater)
- Water in the morning hours
- Move the plants to a sunnier location
- Give plants plenty of room to grow
Here is a recipe for a homemade fungus fighter:
Mix a solution of 1 teaspoon baking soda in 1 quart of warm water in a
small plastic spray bottle. Add 1/2 teaspoon of either liquid dish soap
or insecticidal soap to help the solution cling to the foliage. Spray infected
plants thoroughly on both sides of the leaves every 5 to 10 days.
Past Newsletters online
Did you miss a newsletter? We have put all the newsletters
on the website. It's on the left side of the website.
Heronswood
Most of you are familiar with the closure of Heronswood in Washington State.
The Pacific Northwest Horticultural Conservancy has been established to purchase
and preserve the garden with the goal of creating a horticultural and educational
center in partnership with institutions such as the U of W. They are gathering
5,000 signatures to show support for the mission of the conservancy. Please
let me know if you're interested in my sending you a petition to gather the
signatures. I will return the petitions returned to the OAN (Oregon Association
of Nurseries) and they will forward them to the Conservancy.
Memorial for Penny McHenry
The Atlanta Botanical Garden is honoring Penny by naming the
new hydrangea collection in Penny's memory, Penny McHenry Hydrangea
Collection. Please indicate on your check that your donation is
in memory of Penny McHenry and send it to the Penny McHenry Hydrangea
Collection.
Please mail your donation to:
Atlanta Botanical Garden
1345 Piedmont Ave.
Atlanta, GA 30309
Hydrangea news - upcoming gatherings for Hydrangea Lovers
around the country
American Hydrangea Society (Atlanta, Georgia) - see http://www.americanhydrangeasociety.org
for membership information
nothing on website
Blue Ridge Hydrangea Society (Western North Carolina)
- President/Founder: Linda Shapiro [email protected]
(828) 890-0880
Saturday, October 28, 2006 - Guest Speaker: Mal Condon of Nantucket Hydrangea
Farm Nursery Topic: “Got Hydrangeas”?Place:
NC Arboretum Time: 1:00 P.M.
CSRA Hydrangea Society (Aiken, South Carolina and Augusta,
GA areas) - Membership questions - Bill Hayes (803)641-1077
at [email protected]
November meeting: Sid Morris (former agriculture extension
agent) "Hydrangeas - Day to Day"
Mid-South Hydrangea Society (Memphis, Tennessee) - Membership/Newsletter
Caroline Brown 683-9766 or at [email protected]
nothing planned
Birmingham Hydrangea Society of Alabama (Birmingham, Alabama)
- President is Philip Sarris [email protected]
nothing planned
Aldrige Botanical Garden (Hoover, Alabama) - Lots of other
activites this month, too. Don't miss out!
Friday, October 27 Fall Hydrangea Sale - Members' Preview
2 - 5 p.m.
Members get "pick of the crop" from more than 50 different varieties of hydrangeas
including the Snowflake Hydrangea patented by Gardens' founder Eddie Aldridge.
Location: Aldridge Botanical Gardens, 3530 Lorna Rd., Hoover For more
information, call 682-8019 or visit www.aldridgegardens.com
Saturday, October 28 Fall Hydrangea Sale 9 a.m. - 2 p.m.
Sales opens to the public. Choose from more than 50 different varieties
of hydrangeas including the Snowflake Hydrangea patented by Eddie Aldridge.
Location: Aldridge Botanical Gardens, 3530 Lorna Rd., Hoover For
more information, call 682-8019 or visit www.aldridgegardens.com
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 Universtiy 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. If you're interested in group travel from the NW,
please let me know. I have some friends in the educational travel
business that could swing a deal if we have enough interest.
See more on the website at www.hydrangea2007.be/en
Free Shipping for October
For orders over $100, we'll ship your order free! This is
good through the end of October but plants must be shipped this year (2006).
I'm not sure what shipping costs will be next year.
Use the coupon FREE SHIPPING. Using our coupons are not logical (yes,
we're working on that) so as soon as you have $100 of product in your cart,
type in the coupon code box FREE SHIPPING. You only have to fill in
it once. You won't be able to see anything about the free shipping
until you check out and enter address and contact information. Let
me know if you have troubles. I can always adjust it here at my end,
revise your order and send you a confirmation.
Commonly Asked Questions
Q: If I root some hydrangeas now, where
do I store them over the winter? I live in zone 5. Also, when drying hydrangeas,
is it true that the best ones to dry are at the end of the season. Or can
they be dried at any time, as long as they are starting to turn a little brown.
I know that certain varieties dry easier. Thanks.
A: Great to hear from you.
You'll have to over winter them somewhere warm - you don't want them to
freeze or get dried out so water frequently (every three days or so).
If you have a heated basement or heated garage, that would be best.
Yes, the best ones (in my opinion that is) dry best at the end of the season.
But, it's so hard to protect them from the summer sun burn if you're temperatures
peak to the 100s. We still have hydrangeas blooming here but the best
ones for fall (again, my opinion) are the Paniculatas. They are turning
red or pink or burgundy right now all by themselves.
We have 7 days over 100 degrees this year and many of our tried and true
dried varieties aren't looking so good. We had lots of burning this
year. It's time to get some new shade cloth I suppose. Some of
my favorites are General Vicomtesse, Souvenior de Presidente, Goliath, La
France, Gertrude Glahn, Mathilda Gutges, Princess Beatrix, just to name a
few. I also have a bank of Glowing embers that usually look fabulous
- pink with dark red mixed - but they really suffered this year so they aren't
as prolific.
The trick to dried flowers is the center. I wait until the center
begins to change color. That center eye is typically white but will
begin to age pink or blue as the bloom gets older. It will begin to
open a little big on some varieties, too. Also, besides the center
eye color change, you can feel the bloom. If it's too fresh, they don't
dry well so wait until the petals are a little dry to the touch. I've
also been known to use floral spray paint to cover up the browning spots.
Thank you for your questions. I hope that helps.
Q: On Martha Stewart's show 9/13/06, she displayed many hydrangea
flower heads during a demo of wreath making. She had a great variety and
named them as they were shown. I am looking for 2 of the hydrangeas she showed
that day. One of them was a white flower with a BLUE CENTER and she said
it was Sister Theresa(sp?). The other one I am interested in has multiple
colored flowers with EACH little flower speckled with pink, green and purple...supposed
to be named Anna Pasquale(sp?). Do you know of these...I tried to search on
your site for the 2 names with no results. Please let me know. Thank you for
your assistance.
A: We do grow both the Sister Theresa and the Ami Pasquier.
Do a search, they should both be there. Just look under Sister or Ami
and they should pop right up. Fabulous varieties! I just love
Martha! She is our hydrangea poster lady!
Q: I have a large, mature oak leaf type hydrangea that I need to move
because it is hogging too much prime territory in its current location. Can
this safely be done in October? What procedures do you recommend for Zone
5 (NY)?
A: I'd wait until spring. Unless you can do it quickly,
that is. Hydrangeas are pretty hardy plants but they need time to get
their roots established before the winter comes (and the ground freezes).
If you think you have 6 to 8 weeks of good weather after your transplanting
then I think it's great. If not, wait until the spring - just before
the plant is completely leafed out - April(?).
Please let me know if you have any further questions.
Q: I bought the above variety (Paniculata Grandiflora)
from you about 2 years ago. The plant is in a sunny location in the summer
from about 8 in the a.m. until 6 in the evening. It has exhibited good growth
and I get many blooms. Within the past month to 6 weeks, the branches are
drooping toward the ground as if they were being weighed down. Except for
this, the plant looks fine. Is this natural as the plant matures, or is it
lacking some nutrients, or would it be something else? (Note that we have
had excessive rainfall from about 20 August until now here in south central
Pennsylvania).
A: It is probably the rain that has bent the
branches. That is plenty of sun. I haven't had this trouble with
the Paniculata before but our rain doesn't typically start until October and
I usually prune them off for cut flowers by that time.
The plant should get stronger and stronger. Prune in the fall or the
spring (whenever convenient). I like to prune Paniculatas in the spring
after they first start leafing out. But, you can also do it in the fall.
They bloom on new wood so it shouldn't matter when you prune. The pruning
will help the branches get stronger.
Q: Hi. I bought my first hydrangea from you 3 years
ago (Annabelle) and it's been doing wonderfully. I live in Zone 4. I have
never pruned it and am wondering if I should as it's getting quite large
and weighted down. Please direct me to a site for "caring for hydrangea"
or a response from you would be great. Thank you
A: Great to hear from you.
Personally, I like to prune Annabelle in the spring. Wait for it to
begin to show green leaves and cut just above the bottom leaf node.
You can also prune in the fall but I've found that spring pruning yields smaller
blooms that can hold themselves up much better.
Visit Judith King's website at http://www.hydrangeashydrangeas.com
There is a great deal of information there as well.
Q: My hydrangeas hardly bloomed this year in Ohio. I have one large
ayeesha, two domotoi, and two others I can't remember the name. The ayeesha
has never really bloomed well although the greenery is wonderful on all of
them. They face south and get morning and early afternoon sun with late afternoon
and evening full shade. What in the heck am I doing wrong. I do not trim
them. I feed them. I love them. Wah!
A: Because you're in Ohio I'm going to guess it's weather related.
Other common reasons you touched on (pruning too much, pruning too late, over
feeding, too much shade).
These bloom on old wood so in order to get blooms, the old wood must survive
the winter. Sometimes an early frost (when the plant is still actively
growing) or a late spring frost (after warm weather stimulates the plant growth),
the old wood is damaged and won't bloom. It doesn't necessary kill
the plant, though. It just hurts blooms. Hydrangeas really like
gradual changes in weather. But, who has that?
After leaves begin to drop, I recommend that you cover the plants with burlap.
Bind them with string and put tomato cages around them - fill with leaves.
Cover with large garbage cans and station the can with a large rock or tent
stake. Do you get the idea there? Protect the plant from the elements.
Uncover in the spring after heavy frosts are over. You may still need
to run outside and cover them with a bed sheet or blanket if temperatures
reach a hard frost.
I have one customer in WI that digs her hydrangeas up every fall and puts
them in large pots in the garage so that she will have blooms.
I have also been using an anti-transpiration product (like WiltPruf) to
protect the plants for frosts and freezes. unfortunately, it only works
for 5 or 10 degrees (found out the hard way).
I hope that helps and gives you some ideas. Please let me know if
I can be of further assistance.
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