New Free Hydrangeas – Propagating My Blushing Bride

how to propagate hydrangeas
The Blushing Bride after 2 new plants were dug

Last summer I had noticed that my ‘blushing bride’ hydrangea had low-lying branches which were taking root. I had successfully propagated a hydrangea before – started a new bush from an existing one – by digging up a rooted stem and transplanting it.

There is all kinds of info about taking and rooting leaf cuttings to begin a hydrangea plant, but the ground root layering method will give you a larger plant with a stronger root system. And you have an instant new shrub.

Click my link above to see my story about doing this in the past, or follow along here on my blog, and I’ll explain what I did this time – with pictures!

This method of gaining a new, free plant for your yard (or to give to a friend) works with the macrophylla variety of hydrangeas which tend to have branches that grow close to the ground. In my yard I grow the blue endless summer and the white blushing bride which are this type. Their flowers are rounded and the color of the flower can be changed according to the soil conditions.

Once you find those low lying branches and find one that is rooted to the dirt, tug gently to see if it’s rooted well. If it comes right up, put it back (cover it with lots of dirt) and add a weight (like a rock) to hold the root down into the soil. I leave those to dig up at a later time.

rooting hydrangeas
The rock will hold the stem in place until the roots get larger and stronger.

The offshoots that I dig up are well rooted and look like little hydrangea plants all on their own. It is easiest to do this in Spring before all the leaves have come out and make it difficult to see around the base of the shrub. As I searched around the base of my original plant, I found one well-rooted shoot by itself, and two that were so close together that I kept them as one plant.

Clip the stem(s) that run under the dirt from the original plant to the new one. Dig around and down under the new plant as best that you can and put it in it’s new home. It helps to know where you will put it, and get that area ready before you dig up the new one! Do you know how to plant hydrangeas?

picture tutorial to propagate hydrangeas by root layering
Find the stems to cut and remove the new little plants from the original.

As with all newly planted shrubs, give it plenty of water and watch it each day to make sure it’s doing well. Lots of sun will make this type of hydrangea wilt, but after watering it should bounce back.

I now have two new ‘Blushing Bride’ plants (see my pics below), and best of all they cost me nothing but a little time!

baby hydrangea bush
New plant #1
propagated hydrangea plant
New hydrangea plant #2

One of these new plants is blooming with three flowers in just one years time. Read this post about the new Blushing Bride plant.

Get a Tick Key to Remove Those Nasty Critters

tick key tick removal
Remove Ticks Easily

I can’t remember how I heard about the tick key, but I am glad I have one. In fact I think they come in sets too, and it might be a good idea to have more than one since it’s easy to lose track of it.

The shape of the opening narrows to a point and I’ve used it to remove 2 ticks from my cats. Just slip the wide end over the tick and slide it down to the point. The tick comes right off – head and all. It’s so simple! Wish my photo was better, but you get the idea. I hate these things, like everyone else, and getting them off the animals was always such a chore. Then I’d worry if I’d removed the whole thing.

I find most bugs to be interesting and usually helpful. But there is no reason for ticks to exist, as far as I can see. Lime disease is so bad in New England, we have to find the best ways to avoid getting ticks in the first place. But if you are bitten, or you furry family member is, try the tick key – I think you will like it.
tick key and tick

My Greenhouse is Full

mini greenhouse
This years greenhouse plants
With a small yard and a tiny deck, I never dreamed I would have a greenhouse. It’s not exactly what comes to mind when you say “greenhouse” but my mini-greenhouse does the job. It fits nicely in the corner of my deck, up against the house (so it won’t blow over in a strong wind), and it holds plenty of seedlings.

This year it is nearly full, with tomatoes, eggplant, peppers, zucchini (courgettes), parsley (already planted in my raised bed), and flowers. I didn’t start anything from seeds this year, but I’ve purchased a grow light so I can start seeds indoors next April. Then I’ll move them out to the greenhouse in May. That’s my plan anyway.

A few weeks ago I went to House by the Side of the Road in Milford, NH and bought my tomatoes and a few pepper plants. The other veggies and some flowers I bought at Tenney Farms in Antrim.

I don’t ever have luck growing peppers, even though I’ve read all kinds of helpful tips. I have fewer tomato plants this year too. The “Celebrity” type seems to give me a nice crop, so I am sticking with that kind. And of course the small, grape tomatoes too. I’m the only one in the household who will eat them, and last year I had too many!

green and red tomatoes
Last year’s tomato crop, end of season.

May Brings Out the Dusty Street Sweeper

street sweeper
Street Sweeper in May
It has to be dry to sweep the streets, and the day the sweeper came by he sure kicked up a ton of dust. May is when our town sweeps up winter’s leftover sand from all the roads. They put a tentative (because of weather) schedule out, but I am never really sure when they will appear in my neighborhood.

Having the street swept is a new thing for me. The first spring in my new home, I noticed that people were making rows of sand at the edge of their yards. They were brushing (?) the sand off their grass somehow, and I wondered why. The sand comes from the sand trucks that frequently sand and salt the roads all during winter. I found out a while later when the noisy street sweeper came through the neighborhood and sucked it up!

I don’t bother to sweep sand off my “grass” mainly because I don’t have any grass. I’m working on it, but that is far down my list of yard work that needs to be done. I did get this photo of the sweeper as he went by a couple of times, kicking up clouds of dust. It’s a normal part of Spring clean up in this part of New Hampshire.

The Endless Summer in Spring

hydrangea leaves in spring
Spring Growth on my Endless Summer Hydrangea
It’s May and while the black flies swarm and temperatures are on a roller coaster the hydrangeas in my yard are growing new leaves. My Endless Summer plant has lots of new growth. I’ve left the bare stems just in case something pops out along them. In general, I don’t prune this plant. It’s relatively small anyway so there is no need. I am not adding any new perennials to my yard this year, other than the ones I will propagate, but this is a good time to buy and plant hydrangeas in the landscape.

I added some bonemeal around the base and will eventually add new dirt too. Right now I am busy readying my vegetable gardens for planting – hopefully this weekend. Once the fabric pot raised beds have all the dirt they need, I will add what’s left to the flowers. My Pinky Winky and Limelight hydrangeas all look fine too. In a couple months I’ll see some flowers. Can’t wait!

Mother’s Day Blues

Image
Or should I say, blue for Mother’s Day. It’s sunny and bright and beautiful for Mother’s Day here in New Hampshire, and I don’t have the blues, just pictures of blue flowers. There are no hydrangea flowers in the yard yet, so I’ve gone into my massive archive (haha) and pulled out a favorite photo to share.

I will be heading outdoors soon and hopefully the black flies will leave me alone. I have a mound of dirt to move around in my trusty wheelbarrow. There are seeds to plant and grow in my little greenhouse and plenty of other things awaiting my attention.
But first I have to pick up my son. Then the day will be mine.

I don’t have a Mother to celebrate so I get to celebrate my own motherhood. I’ve been a mom for nearly 37 years and I like to think that I have done a good job.
I hope that my children have learned some good things from me. Like perseverance, independence, thankfulness, and the importance of having a good work ethic. I think all my children have turned out well, and of course they are still evolving, but in general they have good hearts and are very decent people.

So Happy Mother’s day to all the moms who may come across this post today. The blue flower is for you as my wish that you will stay strong in this journey of motherhood that is really never-ending. And for the mom’s who do it all alone, you are not alone in your journey. There are many of us out there who also have to make our best attempt to “do it all”. It’s impossible, so pass on the things that can wait and take care of the things that won’t. Children grow up very fast and our job is to see that they grow up well. There are great rewards for that.