Hydrangeas - the proper care

Those that know me well know that Hydrangea is really my favorite plant and flower.  I find nothing as elegant and understated.  I prefer the classic varieties and stay away from macrophyllas, because they just look fake to me.

Hydrangeas seem to be a plant where you just kind of let it go, but that is far from the truth.  My husband spends hours layer pruning our paniculatas so they push spring growth to his desired shape.  Pruning is a science as well as an art.  As is gardening really.

I had an interesting conversation with a master gardener yesterday who was asking my opinions on a plant I was installing at her friends house.  It was a gro-low sumac.  For me, a "landscaper," something I use all the time when I want a big pillow of greenery.  But to her, something less known.  It reminded me that although someone might be an expert, we are always still learning.  We are experts at what we are most comfortable with, what we prefer and what we are exposed to most often.

So I thought why not put out some tips for caring for my favorite plants.  To some it might be old information, a refresher and to some it may be completely new.  But at least I'm going to try to use this fantastic technology to continue to educate as often as I can.

Pruning hydrangeas
To know when to prune your hydrangea....here's a handy guide:

Hydrangea macrophylla (Blushing Bride, Endless Summer, Light-O-Day): Prune in late summer, as soon as the flowers fade, but never after September. Remove weaker stems from the base of the plant, being careful to retain several stems of old wood, which will produce buds for next year's flowers.

Hydrangea arborescens Grandiflora (Annabelle, Bella Anna, Incrediball): Cut to the ground in late winter or early spring.

Hydrangea paniculata Grandiflora (Tardive, Limelight, Pink Diamond, Unique): Simply remove spent flowers and thin or cut back last year's growth in late winter or early spring.

Hydrangea quercifolia (oakleaf hydrangea): Remove dead wood at the base of the plant in early spring.

Hydrangea anomala petiolaris (climbing hydrangea): Unruly vines can be shortened in summer. Otherwise, pruning is seldom necessary.

Fun interesting tips for homeowners

1. To remove the salt deposits that form on clay pots, combine equal parts white vinegar, rubbing alcohol and water in a spray bottle. Apply the mixture to the pot and scrub with a plastic brush. Let the pot dry before you plant anything in it.

2. To prevent accumulating dirt under your fingernails while you work in the garden, draw your fingernails across a bar of soap and you'll effectively seal the undersides of your nails so dirt can't collect beneath them. Then, after you've finished in the garden, use a nailbrush to remove the soap and your nails will be clean.

3. To prevent the line on your string trimmer from jamming or breaking, treat with a spray vegetable oil before installing it in the trimmer.

4. Turn a long-handled tool into a measuring stick! Lay a long-handled garden tool on the ground, and next to it place a tape measure. Using a permanent marker, write inch and foot marks on the handle. When you need to space plants a certain distance apart (from just an inch to several feet) you'll already have a measuring device in your hand.

5. To have garden twine handy when you need it, just stick a ball of twine in a small clay pot, pull the end of the twine through the drainage hole, and set the pot upside down in the garden. Do that, and you'll never go looking for twine again.

6. Little clay pots make great cloches for protecting young plants from sudden, overnight frosts and freezes.

7. To turn a clay pot into a hose guide, just stab a roughly one-foot length of steel reinforcing bar into the ground at the corner of a bed and slip two clay pots over it: one facing down, the other facing up. The guides will prevent damage to your plants as you drag the hose along the bed.

8. To create perfectly natural markers, write the names of plants (using a permanent marker) on the flat faces of stones of various sizes and place them at or near the base of your plants.

9. Got aphids? You can control them with a strong blast of water from the hose or with insecticidal soap. But here's another suggestion, one that's a lot more fun; get some tape! Wrap a wide strip of tape around your hand, sticky side out, and pat the leaves of plants infested with aphids. Concentrate on the undersides of leaves, because that's where the little buggers like to hide.

10. The next time you boil or steam vegetables, don't pour the water down the drain, use it to water potted patio plants, and you'll be amazed at how the plants respond to the "vegetable soup."

 11. Use leftover tea and coffee grounds to acidify the soil of acid-loving plants such as azaleas, rhododendrons, camellias, gardenias and even blueberries. A light sprinkling of about one-quarter of an inch applied once a month will keep the pH of the soil on the acidic side.

12. Use chamomile tea to control damping-off fungus, which often attacks young seedlings quite suddenly. Just add a touch of tea to the soil around the base of seedlings once a week or use it as a foliar spray.

13. If you need an instant table for cocktails, look no farther than your collection of clay pots and saucers. Just flip a good-sized pot over, and top it off with a large saucer.

 14. The quickest way in the world to dry herbs: just lay a sheet of newspaper on the seat of your car, arrange the herbs in a single layer, then roll up the windows and close the doors. Crazy sounding, but it works!

My 3 favorite shrubs

They say that a parent has no favorites when it comes to their children, and really when you are a landscape designer, horticulturist or gardener your plants are kind of like your kids. 

You patiently nurture them to help them reach their own pinnacle of performance and potential.  Like parenting, sometimes the road is challenging and frustrating, but ultimately all of the effort is worth it when you achieve your end result.

The difference is though...you can choose your plants. 

I have three shrubs that I adore, covet and try to use whenever I have the application.

Hydrangea paniculata 'Tardiva'
There are a lot of great paniculata varieties, but I'll stick with this avid performer that does well in both full sun and light shade.  It has very showy white flowers that turn pinkish in August.  Its structure is upright which makes it perfect for hedges or as a structure piece in a perennial garden.  My experience is that it is much more drought tolerant than its arborescens and macrophylla cousins.  Plus you can use the flowers in arrangements, fresh or dried.

Rhus 'Gro-Low'
A lot less sexy than Tardiva, Gro-Low Sumac is my go to plant when you are looking to create a fluffy pillow of green in hard to grow areas.  It is extremely drought and salt tolerant.  But utility isn't its only attribute.  As most Sumac its fall display of red is spectacular and not to be missed.

Viburnum prunifolium

I have a long list of viburnums that are battling to be in my top three list, doublefile, koreanspice, judd, but there is something so elegant about the vase-like structured blackhaw viburnum.  They provide this great filtered quality.  And the flowers are almost a layered look.  We used them as screening in our yard underneath a Honeylocust and we have not pruned them in 4 years because we love their natural form, they are perfection.