Last week has been crazy-busy around here and life got in the way of blogging even more so than usual, which is why I missed two out the three weekly-scheduled posts. (Sorry about that!) But I’m back and willing to talk all things gardening, if you’re interested.
As some of you may know, we bought our house a little over a year ago and it came with an acre of land which we’ve been trying to tame ever since. As former city mice, my husband and I are learning to garden through trial and error. It hasn’t been easy and books and google and friendly neighbors could only teach us so much, so obviously we made a ton of mistakes. However we’ve also learned a lot and the biggest takeaway so far has been a newfound love and appreciation for hostas. Their resilience is unmatched, these plants can’t be killed no matter how inexperienced the gardeners. (Knock on wood though!) We’ve also learned about deadheading climbing roses. To always use clean and sanitized pruners, and cut on the diagonal to keep the rain drops from stagnating on your plant, to cut down to right above a five-leaf cluster. Not two, not three but five! How cool is that? Our climbing David Austin roses are growing fast and some of the branches are blooming the second time this season.
Now onto the negatives. Our biggest challenge so far has been caring for our hydrangeas. Last year we planted four beautiful pink macrophylla shrubs, and after nearly killing them soon after, by watering them mid-day on the hottest day of July (Gardening 101 faux pas), we were extra doting, hoping they’ll come back unharmed this year.
They did come back, but without flowers, or buds. We have a grand total of two flowers on four large shrubs and no forming buds in sight. How could that be? We haven’t touched them and have been watering them religiously, yet nothing flowers. So I was wondering if you had any ideas as to what could possibly be wrong? We’re in zone 5a so that might be a contributing factor, although I’ve seen hydrangea shrubs on my walks that made me weep they were so gorgeous. And what about other parts in Massachusetts, where hydrangeas are such prolific bloomers? (I’m looking at you, Nantucket 🙁 )
Anyway, clearly they’re unhappy and it breaks my heart so I’ll try and figure them out by this fall. Maybe moving them elsewhere will help? Also, remind me please never to buy plants from Walmart. They’ve never, not once, perform well in our garden.
And speaking of hostas, I posted a pic on Instagram about my hosta leaves having bite marks (rabbit, deer and slugs have all shown interest) and have gotten numerous messages and advice on how to prevent future attacks. The first one was to sprinkle broken egg shells at the base of plants, to keep slugs away. I’ve done that and haven’t noticed any new holes on my leaves, so I’m optimistic. As for deer, someone suggested we sprinkle human hair around the plants. Apparently the human smell will keep deer away. It is so creepy, I know! But since we all need haircuts soon, I’ll give this a try and pray that neighbors won’t see us. As for rabbits, I strategically placed a few garden sculptures (a dragon, a frog and a larger hare) inherited from the previous owners and have my fingers crossed the bunnies will feel intimidated and check out our neighbors garden buffet instead.
How is your garden doing this summer? Any interesting lessons/tips you’d like to share?
Hi Eva – Hydrangeas are some of my favorites. Hydrangea Macrophylla that flower once, such as ‘Nikko Blue,’ bloom on last year’s growth. Prune just after flowering in summer. Yours should bloom on the old wood next year.
Also, I think yours might be planted too close to the fence and too close to each other. Check the tag, and see how wide they get. If they get 6 feet wide, plant them 6 feet apart, and at least 3 feet from the fence.
Love your blog!
I meant the center of the bush 3 feet from the fence!
Give some of the Paniculatas like Limelight and Pee gee and the Smooth leaf selections like Annabelle or Incrediball. Much easier to care for and are very forgiving about pruning. Check with your local nursery and plant some new varieties in the fall. Gardening is alot of trial and error. I usually give my plants 3 chances and if they still fail to perform out they go! I have been gardening,lecturing on gardening and even writing a column for our local paper on the subject. Your new home is lovely .
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Thank you so much, Gail! You know, I think you’re right. I kept all tags from plants we bought for the garden and looked it up last night after seeing your comment. It does say these hydrangeas should be spaced at least 4 feet apart so I guess have some digging up to do when the weather cools a bit… Thanks! xo, Eva
The rose is gorgeous!
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Thank you, Janet! So far it’s been my favorite “pet” in our garden! xo, Eva
Hi Eva! We are in zone 4, so you have an advantage over us, but these hydrangeas were all the rage here a few years ago until no one could get them to bloom much. Same story, one maybe two blooms, if you’re lucky. And never getting very large or full here. So the paniculata hydrangeas have become much more popular and successful here with many different size and bloom options. Guess you have to live in Nantucket to have success with these 🙂
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Hi Elizabeth!! Thank you so much for your comment, what a pity that these beautiful hydrangeas are so tricky to cultivate successfully in cooler climates… Must check out the paniculatas then, maybe we’ll have better luck! Thanks! xo, Eva
Eva, we are creating a fairy garden. Your daughter would probably love to plan and create one with you. Lots of good ideas on line! You have a lovely backyard! Enjoy the week. Jane
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Thank you, Jane! A fairy garden sounds wonderful, indeed my daughter would love to plan one! I’ll look it up right away… Take care! xo, Eva
Deer have discovered a type of shrub we have planted in our yard…which basically all look like bare sticks now. The plan is to remove what is left of these shrubs in the fall & replace them with groups of Society Garlic, which the deer won’t go near. They are much lower maintenance too.
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Oh, deer… Sorry to hear that, Cindy! Good luck with the Society Garlic! xo, Eva
I turned my back on macrophyllas long ago and stick with smooth leaf or panicle hydrangeas. They can take a lot more sun and bloom on new wood. For your area in the picture I would recommend Bobos (hydrangea paniculata). I just put in 3 this morning. I am also going to put in 3 Little Quick Fires. Last week I put in a glorious Limelight on a standard and a Berry White shrub form, complementing a Pinkie Winky on a standard we planted last year. If you haven’t seen the tree forms, give them some thought. You get a hydrangea with room to plant more stuff underneath lol. I also recommend Annabelles, because they will grow in even clay soil and we completely cut them to the ground every fall.
Be careful about some of the paniculatas, which grow fast and can get monstrously big in just 2-3 years. Always take the size seriously and plant the right shrub in the right space.
I don’t mean to sound impertinent and I loved reading your very learned response but as a novice gardener the names baffled me without having looked them up. When we got to Pinkie Winky I was thinking Teletubbies. Oh dear, time to educate myself.
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Hi Lisa, thanks so much! This is pure gardening advice gold! I’m taking notes!! xo, Eva
In zone 5, the buds may have been distroyed with a cold snap late in the spring. You should only buy hydrangeas that grow on new wood—limelight’s for example. Unfortunately your hydrangeas May never bloom because the buds will freeze in the spring. Sorry.
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Oh, no Phyl… Thanks for pointing that out, it makes sense. In any case, we’ll be looking for different varieties this fall and your advice is greatly appreciated. Thank you! xo, Eva
To repel deer, put Irish Spring soap shavings all around the hostas before they begin to pop out of the ground each year. If it rains, repeat. You can also try putting these shavings around the entire bed if that is practical for your bed. We had great success with this soap when nothing else worked, not even human hair, nor urine all around. This also worked for rhododendren bushes. Good luck!
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Thanks so much, we’ll absolutely try this asap!! xo, Eva
My husband and I are not keen gardeners but when barren landscapes beckon one must rise to the challenge. Sort of. Some of our Hydrangeas have not flowered yet after a hard prune last autumn but they are beginning to look promising. The one thing I might share with you as an amateur naive gardener is when you buy ANY PLANT and it says dwarf do not believe it. Three years later you will be hiring heavy equipment to excavate them. Your home and grounds are enviable. Hope you like New England. The autumn equinox is not far away.
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Hi Nancy, thank you so much for stopping by and commenting! You’ve just confirmed for me that plant tags can’t be trusted… (As if gardening wasn’t a dangerous enough activity 🙂 ) xo, Eva
Hello, hydrangea are my favorite! Endless summers can be touchy, Id give them another year before doing anything and over the winter do more research, check into Bobos hydrangea. They may be in a location they’re not digging. Ive found my hydrangeas are the happiest in morning sun afternoon shade. Your hosts could have a multitude of bug like japanese beetles spray the hostas down with soapy water that could help. Happy gardening!
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Thanks, Laura!! Will do!! Happy gardening to you too! xo, Eva
Your rose, hydrangeas, and hostas look fantastic! I can’t imagine gardening in a 1-acre yard! We have a modest home in a subdivision in Apex, NC (just outside of Raleigh). Our current gardening project has been trying to keep our blueberries from being devoured by the birds. My 9-year-old son Alex and I made a video and a post about our blueberry cage project. It’s been pretty popular with our local gardening FB groups. You can see it here:
https://myhomeupgrades.com/blueberry-cage/
Thanks very much!
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Thanks, Christopher! Your blueberry cage idea is so clever, thanks for sharing the video with us! xo, Eva
I love our Bobos! They are so elegant. We also have Annabelle’s and Zinfin Doll. All of them are amazing. I want easy care plants and these fit the bill. My parents have Endless Summer which are beautiful, but they have to cover them every winter in order for them to bloom. Your rose is beautiful! We had William Baffin roses at our last house. They are very hardy and pretty. They grew to be about 15′ tall! Since you have so much room, they might look good planted as a hedge for privacy, which is what we did. Good luck with your gardening. It is always about trial and error.
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Thank you so much, Ellen, for stopping by and for your helpful suggestions! Take care!! xo, Eva
Your hydrangeas look pretty healthy to me. I have found that when purchased (or rec’d as gifts) in the spring, they are always loaded with blooms for very small plants. This is because they’ve been greenhouse grown, force fed and babied for the Mother’s Day, etc. season. The following year, they are sort of spent for having been forced to bloom, and need to just establish their roots and accommodate to life outside the hothouse. Although I live much farther South than you, I’d give them another year where they are, continue watering through the hot weather, and then see what happens next year. I wouldn’t prune this year, unless you just cut a few blooms to bring inside. Hope that helps!
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Hi, Paula! Thank you so much for the advice! The plants did look heavy with blooms when purchased last summer, especially for their small size, so chances are they were forced blooms and this is their year of rest. Thanks for mentioning it, I wouldn’t have thought of that. Will try to baby them some more this fall, fingers crossed…. xo, Eva
Annabelle is a fantastic hydrangea – large white flowers which turn a soft shade of green about this time of year. Easy care – I cut them down too about two feet in the spring and then they just go. Your rose is gorgeous!
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Thank you for the advice, Jean!! I will be planting Annabelle and Paniculatas this Fall. xo, Eva