Tag: perennials

The Pinky Winky is Planted!

pinky winky shrub
Finally – the Pinky Winky is in the ground!

Finally — I got my newly acquired Pinky Winky hydrangea shrub into the ground! The other four hydrangeas were planted a couple of weeks ago and then we had a week of rain. I couldn’t decide where to put the last one – the Pinky Winky – and then I decided it should go out front so it can be seen by passersby. So I began to dig near the edge of the house and I was stopped by a white pipe in the ground. It must be part of the septic system I suppose.

So I filled in the hole and had to find another spot. I decided on the area next to the garage. The Pinky Winky tag tells me that it will be quite large and eventually reach 8 to 10 feet wide and high. It also needs some sun. I also noticed that little buds are forming – which is exciting! I thought I might have to wait until next year to see some blooms, which will be pink and white and elongated.

All hydrangeas – the Limelight, Blushing Bride, Blue, and Pee Gee are doing well.

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Make Your Home More Inviting by Adding Perennials

rhododendron red buds
Red Budding Blooms on Rhododendron

Adding long lasting perennial shrubs to the yard is a great investment to your property. When I had my taxes done this year I was told to keep receipts of any improvements I made to the yard, including landscape plantings and other upgrades. Since I have a yard that needs a lot of help, I like the idea that I can claim at least some of my hard work on my taxes next year as a home improvement.

Have you ever looked at houses you pass while driving and thought how much the look could be improved by adding some nice looking perennials? I realize that not everyone is a gardener but it’s a shame people don’t care to make the outside of their house look lovely. It’s the first thing everyone sees and plantings make a home more inviting, in my opinion.  Hire someone to do it if you don’t want to.

Adding colorful perennials to the yard takes money and work, but the lasting appeal far outweighs the initial investment. Comparison shop for deals on your favorite flowering shrubs and buy something that needs little to no care once it’s planted (unless you like to fuss over roses!).

I love hydrangeas because they are fuss-free for the most part, but another plant to consider is the Rhododendron. The large version comes in a variety of flower colors and this red one (pictured) is my favorite. They like some shade, but this is a very hardy plant that will grow large. The smaller version, which looks more like an azalea to me, is also easy to grow and gets an abundance of flowers.  The only issue I’ve had with this one is that something ate the leaves – deer maybe?

Buying perennials in Fall will save you money, and over the winter they will have the chance to settle in and get ready to bloom in spring or summer the following year.   Adding just a few flowering perennials to the yard will make a big difference and will continue to enhance your landscape for years to come.

Buying Is Fun, Planting – Not So Much!

hydrangeas in pots
Newly purchased hydrangeas in pots

Going to the nursery and buying new plants for the yard is such fun. I love to imagine them each growing large and gloriously enhancing my landscape. But once I’m home and the work of digging and getting them into the ground begins, I’m not having as much fun.

Finding the right spot for them is the first obstacle to overcome. Some of them, in fact most of them, like sun with some shade. The blue “Endless Summer”, white “Blushing Bride“, the “Limelight” (I bought two), and the “Pinky Winky” all need to get some sun, but the “Pee Gee” wants shade.

Also, the full grown size of these plants needs to be considered. Hydrangeas don’t really need to be trimmed, so I want to give them all the space they need to look natural in their settings.

While I am considering all these things and watching my yard for the sunny spots, the plants sit in their pots. Each day they must be watered. Plants in pots dry out very fast. Then a freeze was predicted and I brought them all inside the garage for the night. I wouldn’t have worried had they been planted in the ground, but being in pots makes them more fragile.

I know they want out! And they will do some nice growing once they are in the ground. This weekend the weather in my part of New England will be fabulous, so I plan to get the planting underway.  After all, adding perennials to the yard is a wonderful and lasting gift you can give yourself.

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The Pinky Winky Hydrangea Bush

Pinky winky hydrangea
The Pink and White “Pinky Winky”

The nursery I visited recently in Wilton, NH had a nice variety of hydrangeas ready to buy. With the exception of the tree variety hydrangea, all were together under a greenhouse dome and there were many to choose from the first of this week.

I couldn’t resist getting this Pinky Winky hydrangea (Paniculata) and I sure hope it likes living in my yard. The flowers will be elongated, white- changing to pink, according to the photo on the big tag.

I haven’t had time to get it into the ground yet because we have been getting some nice rain.  Also I am not sure exactly where to put it.

This is my first Spring in my new place so I have been watching the sun – on the days it cooperates – to see which areas get the most.

I think that this one will like some sun but to be shaded from the heat of the day so the front (east-facing) area should work.  Also it will grow to be quite large so it will fill in the front bare spots nicely.

I need to order some garden dirt for the entire front garden area, since most of the topsoil has eroded away it seems.

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Perennial Flowers That Like Shade

Astilbe koblenz
Image via Wikipedia – Astilbe koblenz

I’d like to write about tall perennials that like shade, but I haven’t come across any. 

The best flower for shade is the astilbe (shown).  It has pretty leaves and shoots up tall, colorful and feathery-looking flowers.  It is available in many colors and I especially love the white.  But the flowers are tall and not necessarily the actual plant.

Other Shade-loving Perennials

Hostas are also well known as shade loving plants, but they grow close to the ground with tall shoots that hold their tiny flowers. This is a little “mouse ear” Hosta I planted.

mouse ear hosta plant
Mouse Ear Hosta

Another favorite for the shade is the bleeding heart.

Bleeding heart plant
Bleeding heart plant

Of course many hydrangeas can do well in partly shaded locations and I plan to try some in my front yard (New Hampshire).  The truth is that most flowering plants need a lot of sun to look good, but arranging the plants I have mentioned here in a grouping beneath trees, or in any shaded area, can be beautiful as well.

Out of The Box And Into the Yard – Mail Order Perennials

New little hydrangea plant
One of The Hydrangea Plants

I was impressed with the packaging of the perennials I had ordered from American Meadows, and even though they were a little droopy, they bounced back.

Both Hydrangeas are planted in the backyard where they will get sun and the forsythia is out front. Unfortunately we got a freak 2 feet of snow the end of October, so they hadn’t been in the ground for long before they were covered. One of the long stalks of the forsythia broke off so it’s pretty small now, and the hydrangeas are droopy and partially broken. (The photo was taken before the snow – which may seem obvious, but the snow has all melted now).

I ordered from an online store because I was anxious to get my gardening started here at my new place, but I have my doubts as to how well these plants will do once Spring arrives. And more importantly, how much will they grow. I will be saving up this winter to buy some local hydrangeas and probably more forsythia so we’ll see how much of a difference it makes as far as growth.

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