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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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Fall Color on Japanese Maples


The fall colors are just incredible this year and during the past week, it looks like the saturation filter has been dramatically increased. 

The most colorful has to be the maples. In the top photo of our front pathway, you can see 'Skeeter's Broom' on the left and 'Sango Kaku' (the Coral Bark maple) on the right. 

I've never seen color on 'Dancing Peacock' (in a pot) like this before -

Acer japonicum 'Aconitifolium' ('Dancing Peacock')

And 'Golden Full Moon', very small right now, is just getting started -

Acer shirasawanum 'Aureum' ('Golden Full Moon')

The color on 'Osakazuki' occurs very late, sometimes too late, but happens overnight - 

Acer palmatum 'Osakazuki'

And then it changes even more. The upper photo was taken three days ago, the bottom on yesterday - 



'Sango Kaku', better known as the Coral Bark Maple, so called because of the red stem color (on newer stems) -



'Skeeter's Broom' is one of the prettiest maples in front -




'Shaina' is a variety I recommend for tight spots -




'Ryusen' is a weeping variety -




'Ryusen' as seen from the back with the morning sunlight shining through it -




'Beni-Hime'


And finaly, 'Bloodgood', which was already here when we moved in -





Text and photos by Phillip Oliver, Dirt Therapy
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  1. Kris PetersonNovember 7, 2023 at 4:45 PM

    You have a LOT of Japanese maples! They make a gorgeous showing. My 'Sango Kaku' has yet to shown any color whatsoever but it isn't dropping any leaves yet either.

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  2. tz_gardenNovember 8, 2023 at 8:38 AM

    WOW! I can't pick a favorite, what glorious color. What a delight to come home to!

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  3. rebeccaNovember 9, 2023 at 11:23 AM

    Your and Michael's garden is just amazing.

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  4. AnonymousNovember 10, 2023 at 8:56 AM

    I love Japanese maples. There's no way to pick a favorite this time of year; they are all stunning in their own way. Didn't you use to grow Acer palmatum 'Geisha Gone Wild'...
    Chavli

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    1. AnonymousNovember 10, 2023 at 1:04 PM

      Yes I do have that one. I moved it from a pot to the ground and it is in way too much shade. I'm going to dig it back up and put it in a pot again so I move it to a better location. The fall color is still pretty good on it. I forgot to photograph it.

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  5. AnonymousNovember 20, 2023 at 5:40 PM

    Hopefully moving to Vancouver next summer. Your garden has given me such great ideas. I love that you identify the plant names in your videos!

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