Final Time to Prune Most Trees & Shrubs!

Happy Memorial Day! Reminder: this is the final time you'll want to trim back trees & shrubs to desired shape. Locate and find any crossing branches, scraggly or overly long branches, dead wood, or partially dead wood and get rid of it. Keep in mind the kind of overall structure you'll want the plant(s) to carry going forward. Remember This is also the last time to *hard* prune such things as hydrangea paniculata (the full sun "tree" hydrangea). Doing that now at the latest gives the plants time to go through as full as possible of a growth and/or bloom cycle before Fall hits and deciduous plants go dormant in six months.

Some examples of things to prune now:
- wood on hydrangea macrophylla that has not produced any leaves
- rose bushes with unusually long new branches
- roses of sharon (hibiscus syriacus) - desired shape
- any shrub's branches that have become overly "limp" in Spring rains or winds, e.g. weigela branches that bent 180 degrees under bloom weight.

An additional reminder... If tossing branches & twigs over a hillside on your property. Spread them out evenly at the rear of your composting area. Every year or two, shovel recently composted fines (e.g. leaves) overtop of the branches. You will not want to end up with one big stick pile - it is an invitation for large rodents such as groundhogs and other pests that can damage your plants and/or property.

Updated Garden Pics, July 2012 - Part 3

Addition room. The rest of the shade garden off to the right along the west foundation wall isn't in tremendous shape and needs some more TLC.

Front yard, looking northeast.

Front porch, with potted hydrangeas. They are between reblooming stages. Plastic deco container and bench container courtesy of Suncast products. They are extremely durable, water-tight, fade and crack resistant. Highly recommended!

Front walk, looking north. Mailbox planting is of purple (rear) and white (front) hardy mums, and Dusty Miller. The right side is Tradition Azaleas and fire/ice Hostas. Mailbox courtesy of Rubbermaid products - the black is fading, but it's nothing that a quick hit of spraypaint can't fix.

Looking toward neighbor's Nikko Blue hydrangeas. Highlights on my side are  F&E Together and Twist N Shout hydrangeas.

East foundation looking north. There is plenty going on here, including red heart Althea, some Lamium, carpetflower, dianthus, beebalm, rudbeckia, gladiolus, and daylilies.

Another closeup. There is almost too much going on here (whoops!)

Updated Garden Pics, July 2012 - Part 2

Middle of rear bed, featuring Annabelle and Bella Anna hydrangeas. I've since added some clearance Nikkos behind them. 

Northeast rear corner. The short walkway through there is the path to the main compost pile. However, I've thrown clay soil and additional compost material behind the entire rear wall of this terraced garden in an effort to shore up the hillside more, as well as prevent weeds and vines from creeping up and overtaking these beds.

Pan View looking west through Blazing Star along the back bed. Just look at that "wall of hydrangeas" I'm putting together! And, the backdrop is a semi-mature forest covered in grapevines - how cool is that! PS: Don't attempt to be slick and cut grapevine trunks - they will come back meaner than ever - just keep them off your plants.

The northwest corner, from the east.

Northwest corner, from the southeast. 

Plantings alongside neighbor's fence and shed. Visible is an upstart Salsa hydrangea, some hostas, blush-satin Althea, Black Knight butterfly bush, and David Ramsey hydrangea.

A lot going on here. The neighbor's euonymus needs a prune but I'll get to that. Showpiece here is Great Star hydrangea (left). Quick Fire (further down) has already turned pink.

Addition room bed. Hydrangeas are Summer Lace, Grayswood, Penny Mac, and Endless Summer, along with a PeeGee hydrangea tree.

Updated Garden Pics, July 2012

What's a blog without the eye candy? Here's some new shots! Once again, I've only been in this home for four years, so everything is still young and there is still a lot of moving things to be done.

The showpiece of my east foundation bed, Summer Storm hardy hibiscus, standing at nearly eight feet tall! Throw in dinner plate-sized flowers and you've really got something. Also in this shot is one of its smaller rosemallow cousins that only grows to 3'. Hydrangeas are Lemmon Daddy and Cityline Venice. Groundcover is Snow on the Mountain, spotted Lamium, and some Vinca vines.

Close-up of Summer Storm hardy hibiscus flower (well above 6' fence height). These are killed to the ground each Winter, but re-sprout these thick stems each May and begin flowering in mid to late Summer.

Limelight Hydrangea with Blazing Star (Liatris), scented Asiatic lilies, butterfly bush, etc.

My young Vanilla Strawberry Hydrangea, with a slew of other perennials.

This year's WINNER! Little Lime hydrangea. The photo does it NO justice. The foliage and flower color is simply AMAZING, much different than the traditional Limelight. These blooms will at least double in size by August. 

Walkway from backyard up to neighbor's cut-through to our front yards. 

Out Of The Drought! Plus Tips and Tricks To Go With It

Well, after the driest May and June that I can remember as an adult, we've finally rebounded here in SWPA. At this point, it's almost too much of a rebound though, since many low-lying areas have experienced some flash flooding - but luckily no one around here has been killed this year. But the grass is green again, and things that needed to grow are starting to catch up.

If you want to apply slow-release fertilizer to plants and shrubs, NOW is the second and FINAL time I recommend doing this (the first time being in Spring immediately after last frost).  Also, do not apply as much as you did in Spring.This gives the plants vigor to continue growing and blooming, but also will allow them time to properly wind down growth and go dormant in the Fall when freezes start hitting again. Also remember, if in prolonged drought conditions, do not fertilize. With overly dry conditions and scorching sun every day, fertilizing will do more harm than good. The only additional fertilizing to be done this year would be your lawn, which should be done around early October, using any granular type of your choosing.

During episodes like these where there is heavy rain every few days, it's a great time to move plants and shrubs around as everything is moist, easy to work, and provides less of a shock to the transplanted specimens. Also, as usual, check your drainage and irrigation systems. If there are washouts or standing water, you may want to look into channeling the flow of rain water in different ways. Spreading water evenly through/over and away from plants is key to their health and survival, and of course key to preserving any hard labor you have put into your landscaping.

It's safe to say we've had almost enough rain to get us through almost another month without it. And with 30-60% chance of rain every few days, that should be *enough* probability to have this timeline extended, and should give us the confidence not feel the need to walk around like an idiot watering all day (believe me, I certainly felt like one after a certain point in the drought). Heck, we might have to cut the grass more than once a month!

Ultimately I'm proud that I kept up the watering enough to keep plants growing enough in size to help them make it through harsh seasonal conditions that we experience here. Since my gardens are centered around hydrangeas, watering was of the utmost importance! They really are great plants, and well worth the effort of keeping up with them. Overwintered specimens here only really need a good covering when late Spring frosts hit, and in-ground moisture from Winter is normally enough to get the plants growing and looking healthy through mid-June, even when dry conditions exist. And, even in the most severe heat and drought, they only need to be watered about once every other day (misting the leaves and blooms is not required but it can help with wilting and scorching a bit).