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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...

More Autumn Beauty

In addition to the trees blazing with fall color, there is more beauty to behold. It is really a colorful season this year.

Hydrangea 'Annabelle' and Euonymous albomarginatus

Barberry 'Orange Rocket' and Spirea 'Ogon'



'Fine Line' Buckthorn (Rhamnus frangula)



Pheasant's Tail Grass (Anemanthele lessoniana)



Miscanthus 'Gold Bar'



Jasmine 'Fiona Sunrise'



Acer palmatum 'Bihou'



Strawberry Tree (Arbutus)



Cistus 'Mickey'



Aster 'Monch' and Pennisetum 'Hameln'



Hydrangea quercifolia 'Alice'



Hydrangea quercifolia 'Snow Queen'


St. John's Wort (Hypericum inodorum 'Pumpkin')


Milkweed


Sedum 'Autumn Joy'


Sedum thunbergii 'Ogon'


Asian Jasmine (Trachelospermum 'Ogon Nishiki')


And last, this beautiful plant that I bought at Gossler Nursery a few weeks ago. It is Zenobia pulverulenta 'Raspberry'.






Text and photos by Phillip Oliver, Dirt Therapy

Comments

  1. Your fall colors are amazing. I really like the Euonymous albomarginatus and your new Zenobia pulverulenta 'Raspberry'. But the plant that made me look more than twice was the milkweed. Looks like something left over from halloween!

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  2. You certainly do still have some autumn beauty in your garden. So much color! My garden has been hopelessly frozen. We have had record cold here this month. Just today we were able to get out and mulch leaves. The trees, maples mostly, are curiously holding onto their leaves. All else have dropped and gone to sleep. I am amazed at all the plants you can grow that I can't. I get a bad case of wants when I read your posts. Keep em coming. :)

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  3. Beautiful! Pheasant's Tail Grass has stunning fall colors. I'm not familiar with this grass; I'll have to investigate it further. You have trouble with reseeding?
    I finally broke down and bought a small 'Fine Line' Buckthorn. For now it's in a pot and I hope to find it a permanent spot in the next couple of years. It's such a cool little tree.

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    1. I posted a photo of the Pheasant's Tail grass on Facebook and someone commented that it reseeded a lot but then a few others said that they didn't have a big problem with it. I will keep my eye on it and see what happens. I love the buckthorn too, it is so unique.

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