Skip to main content

Featured

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...
Post a Comment
Read more

Pink Dogwood


The pink dogwood (variety unknown) is the largest tree in the garden. I found a photo of how it looked when we first moved in. It was smaller than I remembered -

2016

So it has grown quite a lot in five years. There are so many beautiful varieties on the market now and we have quite a lot of them at the nursery where I work. The owners recently planted several along the parking lot last year. I was just noticing today how beautiful 'Cherokee Chief' is and wished that I had taken a photo.

Our tree brings us lots of pleasure and it is always a treat when it blooms.



Text and photos by Phillip Oliver, Dirt Therapy

Email Post

Comments

  1. chavlinessApril 24, 2021 at 7:21 AM

    Look at all that grass in 2016... I'm sure not even you could imaging the garden you've created. I love Dogwoods, their blooms make me think of butterflies.

    ReplyDelete
  2. Hoover BooApril 24, 2021 at 12:11 PM

    How long does the flora show last on Dogwoods? It's magnificent.

    ReplyDelete
  3. julesApril 24, 2021 at 1:00 PM

    Here in Georgia dogwoods have taken a huge hit. There numbers are not what they were. I have heard this is due to anthracnose, but I’m not sure. Glad to know you don’t seem to be a set up for fungus, even in your moist climate.

    ReplyDelete
  4. Kris PetersonApril 24, 2021 at 1:08 PM

    It's a gorgeous thing! And sadly something that won't grow in my climate.

    ReplyDelete
  5. CanadianGardenJoyApril 25, 2021 at 4:15 PM

    I desperately tried to plant a dogwood after I have yearned for one for so long. I was entranced by those gorgeous flowers .. I was deep into dogwood flower ENVY .. but alas the one I tried was diseased as were the whole shipment ... I was just too defeated to try again, but I so appreciate seeing other gardeners ! Thank you ;-)

    ReplyDelete
  6. SwimrayApril 30, 2021 at 5:58 PM

    Powdery mildew magnet here in my Virginia yard, especially when summer hits. But they hang on and just don't grow as fast year to year.

    ReplyDelete

Post a Comment