The first blooms of my Caryopteris 'Blue Mist Shrub' - the bumblebees just devour its nectar, and this spectacular blue is so welcome amidst the late summer and fall colors. My Hydrangea Paniculata 'Tardiva' standard survived my crazy radical pruning of this past spring. I always prune it hard in late winter/early spring, but this year I really sheared the tree. It came back with huge leaves and the biggest flowers it's ever had! I just love the red color the blooms of this 'Blue Billows' lacecap hydrangea turn in late summer. They look so pretty sandwiched between the white panicles of my 'Tardiva' and the 'Blue Mist Shrub'. Fall is almost here....
i am going to have to try caryopteris. that blue is so pretty! if bees love it, all the better. ps. i'm so glad you survived the hurricane! i was thinking about y'all.
ReplyDeleteI just planted an Endless Summer blue hydrangea. It has plenty of water. I followed my daughter's instructions for planting it--peat and compost, but it still wilts during the day. What am I doing wrong? And how to do I get it to winer over? Yours are so beautiful and I am sure that we have similar climates. Any suggestions?
ReplyDeleteDaricia, caryopteris is a trouble free fall blooming shrub that rewards me year after year with these clear blue flowers. The bees do just love them. The last couple of years it's gotten aphids in the spring but it always fights back and survives them just fine once the other insects come out and eat them up. Plus I knock them off with the hose when I get the chance. I'd highly recommend it. I have mine in a spot with morning shade and afternoon sun, but it's supposed to do fine in full sun. But down there maybe give it morning sun and some afternoon shade and see how it does.
ReplyDeleteAnn, I never put any peat in my soil when planting hydrangeas. I just make sure the soil is really dark and healthy and maybe throw some compost in. I also try and put some compost around the plants every spring but don't always remember! I planted a bunch of 'Endless Summer' for a client in the front of her house this summer -- she gets pretty much all day shade with some sun dappled through. I was worried that they might not get enough sun but they flowered like crazy. And even though so much shade they still drooped every day in the heat we had. Consistent watering will keep them bouncing back though, and I think that it was also a first year establishing kind of wilt. This variety is very strong and reliable. Give it a year and see how it does next summer. They winter over just fine by leaving them alone. I don't do a thing to any of my hydrangeas for the winter. The snow cover protects them well -- and you should have lots of that out there!
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