hydrangea

Perhaps it was the hot, dry spell we had, but there didn't seem to be too much blooming the past month. Much of what is blooming is woody. Once again, identification help is welcome, as most of these were already here when I moved in. This shrub is in the bed that borders the parking [...]

A while back I was asked if I'd like to receive a sample of Strawberries & Cream hydrangea, a gift plant targeted at Mother's Day. I agreed, but was astonished to receive not one, but six plants:As you can read on the tag below, these hydrangeas are intended to be given as gifts and treated [...]

Hydrangea arborescens, Hydrangea anomala, and Hydrangea paniculata are three terrific hydrangeas for cold climates. Remember those names. Write them down on the inside of your arm with a pen if you have to before you visit your local nursery, so that you will not be seduced by the flashy macrophyllas calling to you from every [...]

Five days late. I considered skipping it this month. But participating in Garden Bloggers Bloom Day has allowed me to track changes in the garden, so I decided to post most tardily. Several plants that were blooming last year are done blooming already, such as cephalaria and pink foxglove. The tunic flower and perennial flax [...]

What do you think of when you think of Buffalo? All. That. Snow. Well, all that snow comes from moist air over Lake Erie. All that snow insulates the soil and protects the plants. And Lake Erie, big enough to be an inland ocean, moderates the climate year round, so that it is cooler in [...]

I hate the plants that can survive a cold winter but can't take a hard spring frost. It is so aggravating! The problem is they emerge too early from dormancy for their own good. I'm talking about: 'Endless Summer' hydrangea. It will get through a USDA Zone 4 winter but break into leaf long before [...]

Every day I take a walk around my garden, and check my 'Endless Summer' hydrangea for buds.And every day I sigh, and walk away disappointed. But one day I was on my knees, weeding a bed about six feet away, and happened to glance over at my bloomless shrub. Hidden in the interior of the [...]

Almost exactly a year ago, my 'Endless Summer' hydrangea was blooming. This year, as you can see above, it doesn't even have buds. What Went Wrong? Okay, I forgot to feed it. Does it completely fail to make buds without fertilizer? I think not. It may not flower as profusely, and the blooms may not [...]

I finally uncovered my 'Endless Summer' and 'Forever&Ever' hydrangeas. I had discovered that dumping a bunch of dry leaves over them in the fall was sufficient to protect them from the erratic spring freezes that we have. The old branches help hold the mulch in place, and I cut them down in the spring when [...]