Since my return from Ireland and my recovery from hip replacement surgery, I want to focus more on my gardens. I tend to rearrange my gardens like I rearrange my furniture. Sometimes, I am unhappy with how the plantings turn out, sometimes they die, and sometimes the plant is just wrong for the space.
In this post, I would like to tell you about two problems I am working on this Spring. The first concern is my first ever hydrangeas- Endless Summer. I have two that have done great for years, but they died back to the ground for the past two years, and I got very few blooms.
Last winter, I augmented the soil with dried manure and put a winter cover on my hydrangeas. For the past two years, my Endless Summer hydrangeas failed to bloom and actually died down to the ground. I covered them with a snow blanket last year and made sure I did not prune them. I thought they died back down again, but actually, there are some buds that appeared late in the spring, and again, they have started growing from the ground. Now that we have warmed up, I spread Epomna’s Rosetone all over the back gardens. I sometimes use Hollytone on the Rhodes and the hydrangea, but this year, I had Rosetone in the back room, so I just used that.
Right now, the roses and hydrangea look pretty good. I think the manure last winter made a noticeable difference. I will do that again. I will make sure to keep them watered this year. Last year, the heat was sometimes unbearable, and the water seemed to evaporate as soon as I sprayed the garden. My hose carrier bracket ripped out of the siding this year. I will have to calk the holes and try a cast iron four-prong stand I ordered from Amazon. SEE HERE
update to come
