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Pruning 'Summer Crush' Hydrangea in Late Summer or Early Fall

Hydrangea 'Summer Crush' in June... in September Pruning can be a complicated project, especially when it comes to hydrangeas (I can think of one more plant that causes pruning headaches - clematis). That said, if you grow many hydrangeas, especially different types, once you get the hang of it, it begins to come naturally. I used to rarely prune my hydrangeas because I had more space. Now, with a smaller garden, I'm finding that some are getting too large for comfort. Case in point, 'Summer Crush'. It is actually not a huge hydrangea, but it does get larger than advertised - about 5 feet in my garden (the tag said 3-4'). 'Summer Crush' is in the 'Endless Summer' line of hydrangeas and they are among the easier to prune. This is because they bloom on both old and new wood. Therefore, no matter when you prune, you should get blooms. It is the older hydrangeas, the ones that only bloom on old wood, that you have to be careful with. I would recomm...
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New roses

I'm like a kid at Christmas time when I get an order from a mail-order nursery! Yesterday my order arrived from Chamblee's Rose Nursery. This is one of my favorite sources for own-root roses and their prices are the best. And best of all, I don't think they have ever made an error on my orders. I now have limited space for roses and my sunny areas are rapidly dimishing so I should be kicked for ordering more. In my defense, I have spots already selected for these and I did limit myself to 4 - that is saying a lot!



Here is what I ordered:

Graham Thomas & Heritage - Two David Austin English roses that are supposed to perform well in my climate. I have had limited success with these roses but they are so beautiful I can't resist trying new ones. People tell me that Heritage is the best performing English rose for the South.
Paul Neyron - A couple who have an extensive rose garden in a neighboring town swears by this one. They grow a lot of hybrid teas but this is one of the few old roses that they rave about.
Zephrine Drouhin - I had this rose for years on my pergola before it finally got choked out by Rambling Rector. I've always heard that this is a rose that should be planted close to your house because the fragrance is so divine. So I am replacing Climbing Old Blush (it just doesn't bloom enough and the flowers are not that spectacular) with ZD - it will be on an archway right next to the patio!
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  1. AnonymousOctober 12, 2007 at 6:38 AM

    Hello,
    I know just how you feel! Since I live in a cold climate area, my Christmas joy is actually first thing in the Spring when my roses are delivered! In my garden I have over 100+ roses and most of them on their own roots. I feel that own root roses do better and last for ever.
    I also like to collect antique roses such as Ispahan, Kazalik, Harrison yellow and so on ... they only bloom once a season but what a show! The scent is just unforgettable! However I am also running out of place so it will be very hard to cut down when the Spring catalog new arrival comes out around January!
    Believe me I understand your dilemma! P/S I also have David Austin roses and they are not doing as well as expected! But like you I grow them because of their loveliness! California climate is totally great for them though!
    Good luck! Marie Suzanne,dailyweeder.com

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  2. Digital Flower PicturesOctober 12, 2007 at 7:07 PM

    I really like both of the Austins you have selected. 'Heritage' is a really good performer (around here) and is a beautiful flower. 'Graham Thomas' has a lovely color and shaped flower. I hope when you get these in the ground and blooming that you post some pictures.

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  3. lisaOctober 19, 2007 at 3:37 PM

    Thank you for that link, they look like a very reputable nursery. Their search engine was good, too....I did a "zone 4" search and got 4 pages!

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  4. LostRosesOctober 19, 2007 at 9:00 PM

    Well, you've picked three of my favorites that I know you'll be happy with. Graham Thomas is a very reliable performer here - it may take a while for the blooms to get going especially after a hard winter, but it just keeps on coming through the fall. And it smells heavenly.

    Zepherine smells even better! I have it near my back porch and it's a perfect rose for my walk-through arbor since it's thornless. Gotta love that!

    I lost my Heritage through an unsuccessful transplant (Lost Roses, get it?) but it was the most prolific rose I've ever owned. You're going to be so happy with these!

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  5. AnonymousNovember 3, 2007 at 5:23 PM

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