Dear Hydrangea enthusiasts,

 

Welcome to the October 2011 newsletter for Hydrangea Plus®.   

 

What’s Happening…

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.  Hydrangea macrophylla Amethyst is finally blooming in the garden. 

 

Hydrangeas have been pruned, fertilized and general nursery fall chores.  I went into the nursery 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.  I post specials and photos so visit often.

 

Garden Excavation

Hydrangea Heaven is proceeding.  I added 30 more varieties to the garden this week – The serratas (my favorite).  With our winter rains, I’m sure these will be very well watered.  Once the leaves fall off come November (depending on our first hard frost date, I’ll mulch them well to keep the roots growing well into the winter.

 

Winterizing

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.  There are typically four conditions that cause damage to shrubs in the winter.

Wind – The wind will dry out the moisture in the plant’s stems.  Hydrangeas can take some wind but those winter drying winds can cause some real damage.  To prevent the damage, wrap with the plant with burlap or staple burlap to stakes surrounding the plant.

Frozen Precipitation – Snow can weigh down the branches and can snap the plant.  Brush snow off the plant if there is a lot of accumulation. 

Salt – Salt prevents us humans from slipping on icy walkways but they can dehydrate the plant and cause yellowing in the spring. 

 

Others may disagree with the hardiness for the families of hydrangea but here is my recommendation.  Be sure to keep in mind wind chill factor as well.  These temperatures are for dormant hydrangeas.  Sudden drops to freezing temperatures after moderate temperatures can really cause damage to the stem tissue.

 

Arborescens – Hardy to about -20 to -30 degrees

Petiolaris & Quelpartensis – Hardy to about -20 to -30 degrees

Paniculata – Hardy to about -20 to -30 degrees

Quercifolia – Hardy to about -10 to -20 degrees

Serrata – Hardy to about 0 to -10 degrees

Macrophylla – Hardy to about 0 to -10 degrees

Evergreen hydrangeas – Hardy to about 20 degrees

 

Free Shipping for Fall orders over $150

This is a special offer now through October 31st.  For US address, you can get free shipping on your orders shipped in October, November and December if you order before the End of October.  Just use the Coupon Code FREE after you’ve added $150 of plants and amendments to your shopping cart.  Under ‘Redeem a discount coupon’, type FREE.  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, 2011.  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 look for our website

It took a bit of work but I’m finished.  You’ll notice that we no longer have categories for 1-year, 2-year and 3-year plants.  Now, we have just one product but with the option for selecting the size from the product page.  The 3-year size is the default but we almost completely back in stock with every variety so take a look and take advantage of our free shipping special.

 

If you haven’t visited our website for a while, check out the new lower shipping rates to the eastern side of the US.

 

New Varieties for 2012

New varieties will go onto the website soon.  Enjoy our new selections of new wood blooming David Ramsey, Sadie Ray, Chantilly Lace or Little Lime.  Or one of the new compact Oakleaf varieties, Ruby Slippers or Munchkin.  Order one of each!

 

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Sincerely,

Kristin VanHoose

Hydrangeas Plus®

http://www.hydrangeasplus.com