Dear Hydrangea
enthusiasts,
Welcome to the September/October 2010 newsletter for Hydrangea Plus®. Yes, this is a mid October newsletter now. And, totally missed September.
What’s Happening…
Yes, we have temporarily having some glorious weather is upon us here in the Willamette Valley. We have a few intermittent bursts of rain but for the most part, fabulous fall weather. The leaves here are changing with some peculiar and unusual tendencies. But still very pretty and you’ll never forget it is fall here. This is my favorite time of the year – crisp mornings and sunny afternoons. The weatherman said that is all going to change very soon, Friday afternoon with rain, wind, rain and more wind.
The hydrangeas have been pruned, fertilized and we’re on to the general nursery fall chores. I went into the nursery and garden today and took some pictures of the fall around here. Visit our Facebook page at to http://www.facebook.com/hydrangeasplus or just search for Hydrangeas Plus while in your Facebook account. I hope you enjoy the photos. .
Gardenpalooza the Tour in September was a great success. I hope our local customers were able to enjoy this wonderful program and visit some new garden centers and growers. Show hosts William and Judy entertained us for hours on Saturday. Thank you for a wonderful event Gustin Creative Group. This great group of plant people really knows how to put on a great show.
I have penciled out our schedule for next year including open house dates and places where we’ll be selling and speaking. Notice the Memphis trip! I’m so excited to visit my friends in Tennessee.
Preliminary schedule for 2011
January 24th – Shipping resumes
February 12th – Insights into Gardening (Benton County Master Gardeners – Oregon State University)
February 18th, 19th & 20th – Yard, Garden & Patio Show (Oregon Convention Center – Portland)
March 18th & 19th – Hydrangeas Plus® open house, Annual spring break sale at the nursery
April 2nd Annual Gardenpalooza (Fir Point Farms – Aurora, Oregon)
April 29th – May 7th – Annual Overstock Sale at Hydrangeas Plus®
June 11th-12th – Hydrangeas Plus® open house
June 25th – Gardening on the Edge – Newport, Oregon
June 26th – GardenFaire – McMinnville, Oregon
September 9th, 10th & 11th – Gardenpalooza – The Tour at Hydrangeas Plus®
October 10th – Mid-South Hydrangea Society (Memphis Botanical Garden - Tennessee)
Garden Excavation
Hydrangea Heaven is proceeding. We remodeled the deck and broke a few water lines but will start planting any day now. Just some finishing touches to the deck and the pathways and Heaven will commence. At least I hope so. Check in with us on Facebook and twitter to see and hear about our progress.
Winterizing
Winter protection for hydrangeas comes in various forms. Many parts of the country have to worry about several winter elements while others don’t need to be concerned at all. Newly planted hydrangeas should be protected just to ensure they are well rooted and survive through the winter. In general, there are four conditions that cause damage to shrubs in the winter.
The drying wind = wind will zap moisture from the leaves and stems than can cause more damage when freezing temperatures arrive. To protect, wrap with burlap or staple burlap to stakes around the plant.
Frozen Precipitation in the form of ice or snow = The weight of ice and snow’s can snap branches or icicles falling from roofs (what out below!). To protect, prune or wrap the plant to prevent the damage.
Salt for de-icing your walkways and paths = the salt will dehydrate the plant and tie up nutrients that will cause yellowing in the spring. To protect, keep salt away from the hydrangeas or use de-icing agents that are salt free.
Temperature shift = freezing, thawing, then freezing again will confuse the leaf buds that begin to emerge thinking it’s time to wake up. To protect, use Wilt-pruf or another anti-transparition product if you haven’t already covered your plants. Once you remove the covering in the spring, re-cover temporarily on those nights that freezing temperatures are expected.
Free Shipping for Fall orders over $150
This is a special offer now through November 30th. For US addresses only. Just use the Coupon Code FREESHIPPING after you’ve added $150 of plants and amendments to your shopping cart. Under ‘Redeem a discount coupon’, type FREESHIPPING. Continue shopping or fill out the remaining customer information. You won’t see any obvious signs that the coupon is in place. The shipping cost will be zero once you’ve gone to the summary page. I’m asking that these orders ship this year, 2010. If you have trouble with the coupon, just type me a note in the special shipping instructions and I will adjust the shipping cost to zero for you. Thank you in advance for your fall orders. We have some great looking plants!
New Varieties for
2011
I hope you are sitting on the edge of your seat! But get a little comfortable. I’ll announce them in November after Turkey Day. I’m hoping to get some special offerings for hydrangeas just barely available. I’m privileged to be put on the ‘special’ list and I hope to reserve some that many of you won’t be able to have access to until 2012 I I’m still keeping my fingers crossed. There are so many new cultivars flooding the market these days. We probably won’t be offering them all for our customers. New cultivars are tried and tested here at Hydrangeas Plus® before we sell them. We take great pride to offer you only the best of the best of the hydrangeas. If they don’t grow well for us, they won’t grow well for you.
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Sincerely,
Kristin VanHoose
Hydrangeas Plus®