Hydrangeas are putting on a colorful show this year! Whether it’s a result of last year’s wet summer or the mild winter, I am enjoying the brilliant blue and purple blossoms! Take some time to stop and enjoy the hydrandeas because only nature knows when this will happen next.
This week we are celebrating teachers! Letting your teacher know that you appreciate them doesn’t have to cost you anything…..cutting flowers from your yard is free! These beauties are headed your way Wolcott Elementary School!
It’s Tulip Season!
I’m having a love/ hate season with my Moris Gudanov Tulips. The sun and heat of those 100 degree days followed by heavy rain has the stems looking like cork screws!
#ctbackyardbouquets
#colorblendstulips
This colorful arrangement is making its way up to Wolcott Elementary School to the Teacher’s Back To School Luncheon!
#BackToSchoolBouquets
#ctbackyardbouquets
#WhatHasSurvivedThisDrought
#CtDroughtTolerantCutFlowers
Looking for a great perennial border plant? Check out Allium millennium! As you may have guessed from its picture this is a ornamental onion plant that is related to the whimsical spring blooming Allium bulb. This mid-late summer perennial bloomer puts on a beautiful purple display starting in mid-July. The tidy grass-like foliage stands about 12″ tall with the purple blooms at about 18″. It has proven to be fairly drought tolerant and the honey bees are loving them too!
Happy Gardening!
A fun mixture of Pink Peonies, Blue Hosta, and Coreopsis!
Happy Gardening!
Spring flowers are in bloom!
Daffodils, Cherry Trees, Forsthyia, and PJM Rhododendrons are all in peak bloom right now! So go get some fresh cuttings and bring Spring inside! And don’t forget the host of your family gathering….everyone loves fresh flowers!
Happy Gardening!
The end of October is here…so what’s still blooming in your yard? Below are what’s happening in my yard.
Happy Fall!
I have been doing an experiment the past few seasons to extend or delay my Hydrangea tree’s bloom time. In the picture below, the bottom half of the tree was pruned back the 3rd week in June while the top half was pruned back the 2nd week in July. In turn this pushes the bloom time back. The rule of thumb is that this can be done on the Panicle or Annabelle Hydrangeas. Do not prune back traditional macrophylla Hydrangeas and expect blooms the same year (although some new hybrids allow this).
Another benefit to pruning the stems back by 1/2 the length, is that the shorter stems have less tendency to bend which allows the flowers stay vertical (which I prefer).
So if you’re looking to time Hydrangea blooms for a party or to just extend the blooming season in your garden, don’t be scared to cut Hydrangeas back early in the season.
Happy Gardening!
