Hydrangeas: Old Wood or New Wood Blooms

Hydrangeas are a very popular landscape plant because they have such beautiful flowers, and they’re generally pretty easy to take care of. But there’s also a ton of confusion about hydrangea care and how to keep them looking their best. 

While they’re all related, they do not all have the same growth and bloom patterns. Some hydrangeas change color based on pH; some hydrangeas bloom on fresh growth from this year called new wood, and some flower on the growth they put out last year called old wood. It all depends on the species of hydrangea, so it’s helpful to know what you have and keep the plant info card handy. 

When to Prune Hydrangea: You can prune hydrangeas that bloom on old wood right after they finish flowering. You can prune varieties that bloom on new wood in late winter or early spring.

How Can I Tell If My Hydrangea Blooms on Old or New Wood? there are a few clues that will help you determine if your hydrangea blooms on new or old wood.

• If you prune your hydrangea in the spring and it did not flower that summer, then it’s likely one that blooms on old wood, and spring pruning would have removed the buds
• If you prune your hydrangea hard in the spring, and it still blooms that year, then it blooms on new wood
• Feeling your wood on the hydrangeas can help you tell the difference between old and new wood
• Old wood should be stiffer,...

Gardening Tips For May

The month of May is when spring really arrives in full force! We can get so much done in our garden this month including, planting our vegetables from seed, keeping plants tidy, weeding, fertilizing plants, pruning early flowering shrubs, removing tree suckers, and a few others we will talk about!

Some maintenance tips:

• Weeds come back full force in May! You can gain knowledge on pesky weeds in your garden and catch them early on when they are babies and pull them. Some weeds as they grow and mature, become hard to control, their roots might spread or become a deep tap root. Also they may be tricker to pull out. Try and catch weeds before they seed themself, but that comes later on in the season.
• Rust disease becomes susceptible when apples, crabapple and hawthorns start to bloom. Applying protective fungicidal sprays can help avoid a big spread of disease.
• Pruning early flowering shrubs. Forsythia, Viburnum, Lilac, Small Magnolias, Rhododendrons, and Azaleas are a few that bloom early. As their blooms fade, cut them. Do not wait too long to cut, otherwise you might cut next year's blooms off…Deadline to cut blooms, July 4th. 
• Removing suckers from trees and shrubs
• Spot pruning dead branches on shrubs-they are easy to see because there will be no leaves or flowers on dead branches!
• Depending on rainfall, you may need to water your garden to keep the soil moist for your plants.
• If you plan on adding new...

This past Saturday, (Oct. 12th), I listened to what was probably the last thunderstorm of the season.  Along with some pretty gusty winds was a very heavy rainfall, which I watched roll down the streets towards drains that were already covered with leaf debris.  All that water running into our sewers and eventually out to Lake Michigan, not just waste water but wasted water.  How many times a year do we hear about MMSD (Milwaukee Metropolitan Sewage District) having to dump the contents of the storm sewers into lake Michigan UNPROCESSED because of a heavy downpour that the sewer system couldn’t handle?  There is a solution, and an easy one.  Install a rain barrel in our yard capturing the roof fun off from your house and/or garage.  This will not only help preserve Lake Michigan, but reduce water pollution (oil, grease, fertilizers) and can also lower your water costs.

According to the Environmental Protection Agency, outdoor irrigation can count for up to 40% of water use by households during the summer when rain becomes scarce.  Municipalities often institute mandatory water restrictions, leaving your yard and plants brown and crispy, sometimes with the negative effects lasting into the next summer.  Just one rain barrel can save the average home owner up to 1300 gallons of water during the summer.  With the usual rain barrel being a 55 gallon drum, just ¼ inch of rain can fill it to the top and can be used...

Congratulations! You have just made a significant investment to your yard, and to your life, by installing new plant material. To ensure that investment is productive and successful, you need to nurture it, just like any other investment, making sure you do all you can to help it pay-off.  So, now what?

Watering – not enough or too much – is the most important step in establishing new plants. Beautiful Blooms will always “water-in” all the plant material they install for you. However, once we leave the property, you become responsible for seeing that adequate moisture is supplied. Knowing when and how much to water – and conversely, when not to water – can be tricky, so we offer these guidelines.

Perennials: It is recommended that you water 3 times-a-week, for the first 3 weeks whether is rains or not. After 3 weeks, water once-a-week, unless there is at least ½ inch of rainfall during that week. If natural rainfall is not sufficient, then supplemental, regular watering is needed. Remember that plants dry out faster in windy, unprotected areas, as well as on slopes.  Also, pay close attention to plants placed under a roof overhang; they will need slightly more water since the soil in that area tends to be drier as it does not receive any rain.

Small shrubs: You should use a hose at a slow trickle for 10-20 minutes per shrub to thoroughly saturate the root zone. You will want to keep the water at the ...

Flower bulbs are easy to plant and easy to care for. Here is general information that applies to all spring-flowering bulbs.  Spring-flowering bulbs MUST be planted in fall when soil temperatures are between 40-55 degrees F.  I prefer to plant as late in the season as possible because it gives the critters that much less time to dig them up before the ground freezes.  Once the ground freezes, the bulbs are safely locked into a vault of frozen soil until spring when they will abound with beautiful colors.  Just remember, spring flowering bulbs MUST be planted before the onset of winter. Choosing a Site There are two key considerations when choosing a site for bulbs.

1. Sunlight

Most bulbs need ample sunshine to bloom well next spring and to store up the energy required to flower in future springs. Many bulbs–including crocuses and bluebells–can be planted beneath deciduous trees; these bulbs  are able to satisfy most of their light needs before the trees leaf out. (See each item we offer for specific light requirements.)

2. Drainage

All bulbs need good drainage; never plant bulbs where water collects. The drainage of heavy clay soils may be improved by digging in organic matter such as compost or composted manure. How to Plant There are two principal ways of planting bulbs.

3. Planting a bed

Excavate the area to be planted and loosen the soil in the bottom. Set the bulbs in the bed, following the spacing recommendations...