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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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A perfect Fall day

Before I bombard everyone with vacation photos, I thought I would share some that I took today in the garden. It was great to be back at home and, either I was re-energized from vacation or perhaps it was the time change, but I got a ton of chores done. I bought groceries, mowed, cleared the leaves (and was amazed at how many had fallen since we left one week ago), restocked the bird feeders, cleaned the urn fountain, and spent an hour taking photos.

When we left last Saturday, the leaves had just begun to change color. The colors really popped during the last week. 


The first thing I noticed as we approached the house was how pretty the
Sweet Gum tree (Liquidambar styraciflua) is this year.

Acer rubrum "October Glory" is just as colorful - you just have to look up to see it.


Witch Hazel "Diane" (Hamamelis x intermedia 'Diane') is a dud of a shrub
but the fall foliage almost makes me want to forgive it.
Lespedeza is always a vibrant yellow in fall. We have both the purple and white
flowered varieties but aside from flower color, they look the same.
Sweet Shrub (Calycanthus floridus) is a great old-fashioned shrub.
Japanese Maple "Sango Kaku" (Acer palmatum) is one of my favorites.
The bark will turn red in the winter.
Another Japanese Maple that I would not want to live without is "Crimson Queen", a threadleaf variety that spreads wide but stays low. Ours is over fifteen years old and is not over 4 feet tall.
 
Text and photos by Phillip Oliver, Dirt Therapy
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  1. Gardener on Sherlock StreetNovember 6, 2011 at 5:31 PM

    I love pretty fall days. Thanks for sharing yours!

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  2. AnonymousNovember 6, 2011 at 5:47 PM

    Phillip how wide is your Crimson Queen maple? I planted one along the driveway and I'm worried that it might mug folks as it gets older. I have 3 or the coral bark maples and planted a Red Emperor Japanese Maple today that I found for half off. I have several re-blooming iris starting a re-bloom. Hope the heavy freeze holds off until they open. Mary

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  3. aquablueroseNovember 6, 2011 at 6:25 PM

    Beautiful fall and photography, dear Phillip!

    I enjoyed these so much!!

    My favorite season is fall even though I am a lover of Roses..

    gerri XXX

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  4. LarryNovember 6, 2011 at 7:56 PM

    Wow Philip... your Sango kaku looks great! I put one in a month ago and am hoping it's going to make it here despite being rated zone 6 (we're 5). Great post! Larry

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  5. GabiNovember 7, 2011 at 2:24 AM

    Urocze jesienne widoki...pozdrawiam.

    ReplyDelete
  6. sweetbayNovember 7, 2011 at 6:07 AM

    One of those perfect golden fall days indeed! It is magical the way the light filters through the fall colors and your photos capture that magic perfectly.

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  7. The Graceful GardenerNovember 7, 2011 at 8:33 AM

    Beautiful fall photo's! The colors are so vibrant. Love the photo's of your Jap.Maples too. ~Brenda

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  8. debsgardenNovember 7, 2011 at 2:04 PM

    Welcome back! Nothing like a good vacation to energize you.

    I planted a sweet shrub this year, not expecting much from it. Wow! Now I want to plant two more. Today the fall foliage here is so spectacular, I can hardly pull my eyes away.

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  9. Peggy HillNovember 7, 2011 at 4:14 PM

    What a beautiful Japanese maple! It has been so dry, I'm a bit surprised the fall color is so good this year. I was expecting everything to just turn brown and die.

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  10. scottweberpdxNovember 7, 2011 at 4:21 PM

    Absolutely beautiful...isn't it amazing just how much things can seem to change when we are gone for a few days...especially at this time of year!

    ReplyDelete
  11. NicNovember 7, 2011 at 6:29 PM

    Beautiful pictures - Love the Japanese maples!

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