IT’S HYDRANGEA SEASON, and in the Northeast in particular this summer, it’s really been a crazy hydrangea season, with billows of blue bloom from bigleaf hydrangeas on view everywhere, it seems—which is not always the case in colder hardiness zones. It seemed like a good time to review what makes hydrangeas happy, and what hydrangeas make me and my old friend, Ken Druse, happy.
Hydrangea-loving Ken Druse, who gardens in New Jersey, is the author of 20 garden books ranging in topic from shade gardening and plant propagation to fragrance in the garden and more. He’s my co-host of the Virtual Garden Club series of online classes that we offer in fall, winter, and early-spring semesters. I’m always glad for any excuse to talk plants with him any time.
Read along as you listen to the July 29, 2024 edition of my public-radio show and podcast using the player below. You can subscribe to all future editions on Apple Podcasts (iTunes) or Spotify (and browse my archive of podcasts here).
a bountiful hydrangea season, with ken druse
Margaret Roach: Hi, Ken. How are you?
Ken Druse: Hi, Margaret. I’m O.K. I think I’ve gotten over what one person might call summer, so far. [laughter]. We’ve had a lot of heat.
Margaret: A lot of places in the country, certainly. I was doing an interview with someone for a “New York Times” story, a climatologist, and I was looking at the heat maps. The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Association, NOAA, puts out a heat map every month; sort of the summary, so to speak. It was like psychedelic, you know what I mean?[Laughter.] It was like, oh boy. Was there one quarter of a millimeter of land that wasn’t? Not uplifting.
So tell the truth before we get started, how many hydrangeas, including all different
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It’s August already, and the holiday season is just around the corner! If you want your Christmas cactus to bloom extra pretty during the festive season, now’s the time to act. As summer peaks, this is the prime time to coax your cactus into producing more flowers. Here’s what you do!
Dog-Friendly Garden with Rustic Charm Meander through the paths of Bonnie Duma's beautiful — and dog-friendly! — garden filled with upcycled treasures. Creating a rustic & pet-friendly backyard garden
I SUSPECT I’m not alone when I say that weather extremes in recent growing seasons have made me feel a bit like a stranger in a strange land in my own garden, wondering what will bloom when and when to do what. And most of all, wondering what madness is coming next.
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Panayoti Kelaidis is the senior curator and director of outreach at Denver Botanic Gardens , a founding member and collaborator with the Plant Select plant introduction program, and an active member and past president of the North American Rock Garden Society .
For those of us who garden in small spaces, container gardening strikes an ideal balance between structure and flexibility. Potted plants can be rearranged as often as necessary, which makes it easy to accommodate new additions and to ensure that each plant gets the sunlight or shade it requires. Compared to traditional in-ground beds, container gardens also give us a bit more control over factors such as water, weeds, and pests. I’ve spent the past few decades creating designs for roof decks, balconies, courtyards, and patios in San Francisco. Through this work I have discovered that the key to container gardening success is always the same: finding a mix of appealing plants that are well suited to each garden’s specific climate and light conditions. Using my home garden as a testing ground, I’ve developed some strategies that anyone can use to create lush urban jungle and cohesive container displays that truly stand out from the crowd.
Although redbuds usually get the most attention in spring when a plethora of magenta-pink blooms burst out of every stem before the leaves emerge, this new cultivar has more to offer. Midnight Express®, a nativar that sports velvety purple leaves, fills out much faster and maintains a denser habit than the similar, more familiar ‘Forest Pansy’. As summer gives way to autumn, the interior heart-shaped leaves shift to a golden yellow-orange, while the outer ones stay burgundy. This gives the small tree the appearance of being on fi re. Silvery, ghostlike bark carries the interest into winter, making this plant a worthy year-round investment.
Howard Nemeroff began his career in horticulture as a sales manager for a commercial greenhouse. When it was time to break out and build a plant business for himself, his initial plan was to offer clients garden maintenance and care, but he quickly realized that a more creative endeavor was in demand. Howard used his experience selling tropical plants and designing dish gardens at his former job to establish Plant Parenting, Inc., a company that offers many services but most notably creates award-winning container gardens.
Hydrangeas (Hydrangea spp. and cvs., Zones 3–9) are timeless favorites of gardeners everywhere, but these beloved shrubs are also favored by a wide variety of pathogens. Fortunately, there are many preventive measures we can take to keep our plants safe, and knowing the signs and symptoms of common diseases can help us make a prompt and accurate diagnosis when disease does strike. With a little planning, research, and appropriate action when needed, you can keep your hydrangeas healthy and flowering for many years to come. Here are some of the most common hydrangea ailments, their signs and symptoms, and recommended management strategies.
In 2020, as part of the annual trials at the University of Tennessee Gardens in Jackson, we grew ‘White Flame’ salvia, which was sent to us as a sample plant. It was an excellent performer and received our “Best of Show” award at the end of the season. As with other “annual” salvias, we expected it to die off over the winter. But to my great surprise, it returned the next year—as it has every year since, despite our temperatures dipping below zero on occasion.
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