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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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Back to the bagworms

I was looking at my blog statistics and I noticed that a lot of visitors got here by typing "bagworms" in their search query. Now is the time that they raise their ugly heads and damage becomes very noticeable. I wrote a post last year about my experiences with them. Fortunately, I have not seen any on my evergreens this year.  However, there is a Leland Cypress hedge across the street from us and I could clearly see the telltale brown dying branches and the disgusting bagworms hanging from them. This is a rental property and last year they had to cut down a row of Leland Cypress on the opposite side of the property. You can spray with Malathion now although it is more effective is done earlier in the spring when eggs are being laid. Hand picking is also effective but sometimes this might not be practicable if the plants are too large. Whatever method you choose, you must take action or else the plants will soon be toast. For more information, refer to my previous post.

Text and photos by Phillip Oliver, Dirt Therapy
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Comments

  1. greggoJuly 12, 2011 at 8:49 PM

    I guess it good to be famous for something. lol

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  2. DarlaJuly 13, 2011 at 3:13 AM

    I just posted in my post before last my very first bagworm cocoon, hadn't a clue what they were....it was hanging on one of my climbing roses.

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  3. Deborah Younglao, Silk PainterJuly 13, 2011 at 9:02 PM

    We seem to get them every other year, on one particular oak tree. Just noticed the first one yesterday, so I guess we're in for them this year. What gets me is that the critters themselves are so tiny! Why do they need to build such a big house?

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  4. Rob (ourfrenchgarden)July 16, 2011 at 7:06 AM

    These sound like a real pain in the arse.

    Good news that you don't seem to have any this year. Hope it stays that way.

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