Hello garden lovers!
Yesterday we moved into our new offices at Spring Meadow Nursery. For those of you who don't know, the offices at Spring Meadow burned to the ground in January 2017. But I'm happy to say, that after working in very close quarters for about nine months (a year and a half for those who were here pre-fire), this has been a very exciting week!
 |
| Marketing department - old office |
 |
| Marketing department - new office |
We're still unpacking and there are finishing touches yet to be done, (like the glass toppers between the partitions) but I feel more productive already!
So, even though we are anything but blue this week, I have a blue post to pass on to you from Jane.
When I was linking to this plant, I wondered "what's the difference between Let's Dance® Rhythmic Blue and Let's Dance® Blue Jangles hydrangea? Ah-ha! This is where the Spring Meadow Nursery website plant comparison tool comes in handy!
At any rate, both of these blue hydrangeas are superstars. Enjoy the plant of the week and this beautiful week in general, and I'll do the same!-Natalie
Meet Let's Dance® Blue Jangles® Hydrangea macrophylla. Like the other Let's Dance® hydrangeas, this is a reblooming variety that will flower on both old and new wood. Blue Jangles® is an exceptionally strong rebloomer and has brilliant, vibrant flower color.
Here's a video that shows it in both pink and blue...
This is a compact plant, kind of like the Cityline® varieties only it is a rebloomer. It will grow 1-2' tall and wide and is hardy to USDA Zone 5. Plant it in full sun or partial shade, but remember that H. macrophylla like moist soil.
So many questions...Hydrangeas are a leading topic of questions on the Proven Winners feedback site.
The most common questions are:
1. Why they don't bloom, and
2. How to get the desired color.
Our Hydrangeas Demystified flyer addresses these questions and guides people to the right hydrangea for their situation. If you haven't shared this piece with your readers, please do. It will make you a hero.
Another common question concerns wilting. Hydrangeas, especially H. macrophylla, do have a tendency to wilt. Unsurprisingly, most people don't like it when your response is, "Yep. They do that." They want to know why, and how to keep it from happening.
Even hydrangeas in moist soil can wilt if they are in full sun and it's hot. This is because the roots just can't take up enough moisture to compensate for what is being lost through the foliage. The fancy impress-the-rocket-scientist-next-door word for this is transpiration.
The good news is that this sort of wilting won't hurt the plant as long as the roots are getting enough moisture to catch up when the temperature cools down at night. But if it's happening regularly it's a sign that the plant would be happier in more shade.
Plant of the Week is written by Jane Beggs-Joles.
