Hydrangeas

Hydrangeas are a lovely addition to the southern garden. They do best in beds with lots of organic matter in partial shade. However, they may tolerate full morning sun if plenty of moisture is available.

New plants should not be fed until established which takes one to two months. After establishment use a balanced fertilizer,but use it sparingly because too much nitrogen can stop flowering.

For pink flowers top dress with dolomite or drench with quick lime solution. For blue flowers, use aluminum sulphate to acidify the soil. Two cups of aluminum sulphate equals one(1) pound. Use one(1) pound per three(3) feet of height or mix one(1) pound of aluminum sulphate in five(5) gallons of water and apply at the drip line of the shrubs and water in. The change in color is not immediate. Use of phosphate fertilizer can "tie up" the aluminum which is what changes the blossoms from pink to blue.

Big leaf or mophead hydrangeas can be deadheaded at any time. To revitalize, the shrubs can be cut almost to the ground.
For more information visit http://apps.caes.uga.edu/urbanag/index.cfm?storyid=2497.

Butterfly Gardens

Butterfly populations can be greatly enhanced by devoting a portion of the landscape to butterfly habitat. In addition to their natural beauty, butterflies serve as valuable plant pollinators. The 3 necessary ingredients to attract and maintain butterfly populations all summer are: 1) nectar producing plants 2) larval food plants and 3) a shallow pool of water.

Nectar producing plants provide food for adult butterflies. Characteristics of good butterfly-attracting plants include: 1) sweet, pungent, and highly fragrant flowers 2) red, purple, orange, yellow or pink flower colors 3) simple, open flowers. Flowers that are deep throated or enclosed are not conducive to nectar collection. Most of the plants recommended as nectar food plants are herbaceous or woody perennials.

Although nectar-producing plants are necessary to attract adult butterflies, the ideal butterfly garden requires food plants and habitat for the larvae (caterpillars). Many of the grasses and wildflowers native to Georgia are suitable for larvae food. The plant material should be located in an undisturbed area that is free of pesticides.

If you have a limited landscapes area, 3 of the most commonly recommended plants for butterfly gardens are pentas, lantana, and butterfly bush. With mild winters and heavy mulching, pentas in south Georgia will sometimes survive as a perennial. Lantana and butterfly bush are excellent perennial shrubs that flower through the spring, summer and fall. Both plants should be cut back in February or March since flowers occur on new growth. To attract swallowtail butterfly, you can include fennel in your border plants.

Another necessary ingredient for a sustained butterfly population is a source of water. Butterflies will not drink from open, deep areas. It is necessary to provide one or more shallow water sources. Wet sand or mud makes an excellent watering hole. A saucer designed to fit beneath clay or plastic pots also make an excellent water source - just sand to make it shallow. A rock or other object added to the center of the saucer provides a resting spot for the butterfly.

2009 edition of annual UGA Spring Garden Packet

Welcome to the 34th annual Spring Garden Packet. Put out each year by the University of Georgia College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences, this edition has 25 feature articles written by 14 CAES faculty members, news editors and graduate and undergraduate students to provide timely, valuable gardening information.

The Gardening information can be found here.

Growing Bigleaf Hydrangea

Bigleaf hydrangea, Hydrangea macrophylla, also called French, Japanese or Snowball hydrangea, is both a florist plant and landscape plant in Georgia. Often purchased as a gift plant from florists, bigleaf hydrangea can be transplanted to the landscape for repeat blooms each year. Homeowners delight in changing the flower color from pink to blue or from blue to pink by adjusting the pH of their soil.

Check here for the Hydrangea publication.

Thinking of planting some Flowering Perennials?

With spring around the corner, you might be thinking of planting the flower bed soon.

Check out University of Georgia Horticulture specialist Dr. Paul Thomas's publication -
Flowering Perennials for Georgia Gardens

Here is a sample of the publication:
"Plants are classed according to their growth cycle as annuals, biennials or perennials. Annuals are short-lived plants that complete their entire life cycle within one growing season. Biennials normally do not bloom until the second season, form seeds and then die. Perennials live from year to year, with varying bloom times.

Perennials are also classed as woody (trees and shrubs that produce woody above-ground stems and branches that live from year to year) or herbaceous (plants that produce comparatively soft tissues which often die back to ground level at the end of the growing season). Herbaceous perennials persist by means of various underground storage structures—bulbs, corms, tubers, tuberous stems, tuberous roots and crowns.

The distinction between annuals and perennials, woody and herbaceous, is not always sharply defined because climate influences growth potential. Further, those biennials and perennials that bloom the first year along with tender perennials (those actually killed by frost) are often treated as annuals in the landscape.

This publication is devoted specifically to herbaceous perennials (subsequently referred to simply as perennials), primarily to those that persist from crowns and/or fleshy roots. For information on bulbous-type herbaceous perennials (daffodil, canna, dahlia, etc.), refer to Extension bulletin 918, Flowering Bulbs for Georgia Gardens. "