Dear Hydrangea
enthusiasts,
Welcome to the September 2012 newsletter for Hydrangea Plus®. Fall is in the area here with brisk morning temperatures and wonderful mid 70s by afternoon.
What’s Happening…
Our thoughts and prayers are with those recovering from Isaac. If anyone has any questions that I may help with concerning their hydrangeas, please let me know.
Temperatures peaked in mid August with 6 days over 100 degrees. Hydrangeas were very sad but many have been cut back and are flourishing with new green growth. Because the hydrangeas are so shallow rooted, high temperatures like this really put a strain on the roots to get enough water. You have to be careful not to water the leaves because the sun will burn those water spots if it’s too hot. Watering at the base is the best option, if possible. But, be careful of too much water pooling around the roots if your soil is less than perfect. Too much water around the roots will cause the roots to slow their absorption and increase your chances of root fungus.
The hot weather across the country has also sped up the aging of bloom color. We have lots of green antique colored hydrangeas that will hopefully continue to age red into our fall months.
Stay tuned for those new offerings. We have tested over 20 new varieties this year. Many are not going to make the cut, unfortunately. We vigorously test our cultivars to make sure the hydrangea is worthy of you, our Hydrangeas Plus® customers.
Fall planting season is upon us! For those of us in zone 6 and above, this is a good time to plant. Be sure to mulch the root system after leaf drop to continue those roots growing. My rule of thumb – if you have 6 to 8 weeks until your typical first frost date, fall planting is an option.
We are pruning hydrangeas, fertilizing and doing a little grow dance for some of those varieties that are still a little small. I will be checking on the plants every week so if we’re out of stock, just check back. Or email me with the size and cultivar and I can email you when they are back in stock.
FaceBook
Welcome new Facebook subscribers. We have 18749 fans. Yes, we are online and jumping into this new mode of information. Join us for updates, information, interesting happenings and other hydrangea news. Don’t forget to post your pictures! Just search for Hydrangeas Plus or go to http://www.facebook.com/hydrangeasplus. Specials are posted every month. Come see what our next special will be.
Fall Events
We’ve begun putting the hydrangeas in our retail houses and I’ll spend a lot of next week picking up supplies and setting up for our fall open dates. Fall is a wonderful time to plant hydrangeas.
Open house dates are as follows:
September 8th
September 9th
September 14th
September 16th
September 28th
September 30th
Subject to change so check the website before you venture out to our place.
Due to soccer games, hours are noon to 4pm each of these dates.
Also, find us at Gardenpalooza – Fall Madness – September 22nd from 8am to 4pm at Fir Point Farms in Aurora.
Fall orders and new shipping rates
Fall is a great time to plant hydrangeas in most areas. My rule of thumb for successful fall planting is that you must have enough time before frost for the roots to get established. If the roots don’t get established, the hydrangea won’t live through the winter. After the first frost, the plant stops growing significantly. The roots will still grow but not as quickly. I plant in the fall so that Mother Nature helps me with the watering. I add mulch after leaf drop to make sure the roots stay warm and continue to grow and get established. Email me if you have any questions.
Coming to Atlanta Memphis for American Hydrangeas Society meeting
Put it on your calendar, I’ll be there October 23rd for a presentation on hydrangeas. I’ll be at the Holy Spirit Catholic Church – McDonough Hall – 4465 Northside Dr NW in Atlanta.
New Varieties
We have new varieties to offer. Some will be ready for Fall 2012 but some may not be available until next spring. I will put these on the website soon.
Macrophylla Bridal Bouquet – White mophead from NewZealand
Macrophylla Mini Penny™ – Miniature new wood blooming mophead named for Penny McHenry
Macrophylla Parzifal – Frilly and compact just perfect for a container or small garden
Macrophylla Oak Hill – New wood blooming mophead
Paniculata Baby Lace™ - Miniature paniculata
After a rough start this year, thanks to our deer family living in the blackberry bushes, we are pleased to offer (again)
Quercifolia Ruby Slippers™ - small Oakleaf with blooms that turn red quickly
Quercifolia Munchkin™ - smallest Oakleaf I’ve grown
These new varieties have been tested here at Hydrangeas Plus® so we can honestly say these will work for you and they will do what we say they will. I do a lot of new variety testing and not all of them past my stringent test and get the Hydrangeas Plus® stamp of approval.
Free Shipping for
orders over $199
Back by popular demand, our fall special will start August 31st. For orders placed for US Addresses, free shipping will apply when you enter the coupon code Free Shipping. Once your shopping cart is full of plants & amendments totaling over $199, enter Free Shipping into the coupon box at the bottom of your shopping cart. Continue shopping or enter your billing/shipping information and shipping cost should present as zero dollars. If you have trouble, just email me.
Good for fall shipping only. Good through November 30, 2012, must ship by December 16th, 2012.
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Sincerely,
Kristin VanHoose
Hydrangeas Plus®