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newyorkrita

Time to Move Some Shrubs

newyorkrita
13 years ago

Actually, they are already moved. I knew last fall they needed moving but couldn't seem to find the right time then so decided to wait until spring. I think really early spring like now is the best time anyway. Plus its supposed to rain overnight to water them in good.

I had three lovely lace cap hydrangeas that were getting way too much sun last year. They used to be blue but were more pink than ever before last year. They were frying and the leaves wilting from the sun and heat even though I watered. I had planted them in part shade but when a big (taller than my house) blue spruce fell down early last spring, the area suddenly became full sun.

So change in plans and I moved them to the other side of the porch steps were it is still much shadier as the blue spruce on that side of the yard is still there. Plus I had empty space there with nothing planted.

Then I also had to move two summersweet shrubs, put them with two others I had in another area to make a grouping.

So the sunny side still has ferns and hosta that were planted in front of the shrubs that also need to move as they were getting fried too. I will put them in front of were the shrubs are now after they come up and start to grow so I can see them to dig.

That leaves me with that space empty on the sunny side. I have decided to plant my tomato plants there as I don't really have any other place to put them. Last spring I took over my veggie garden space to plant daylilies, iris and bulbs. So I need to put my tomato plants somewhere. I can't do without my tomatoes.

Comments (5)

  • organic_kitten
    13 years ago

    Rita,
    I love the plans. When you do one thing, there always see to be several things to follow.
    kay

  • newyorkrita
    Original Author
    13 years ago

    Actually, I keep thinking of how glorious that soon to be totally empty area would look planted in a big mass bed of zinnias. And it would sure have the sun for them. But I have to be reasonable and plant my tomates there. They will not look as pretty as a bed of zinnias would but I need to find space for tomato plants somewhere. I figgure I could get about ten tomatoes in there or more. Whatever I put there in tomatoes will be it for me this year. I tried some in pots last year but I just didn't like that at all.

  • ianna
    13 years ago

    You need to add aluminum sulfate to your hydrangeas in order to make them blue. Pink means your soil is alkaline. I've had the same burning trouble with my NIkko Blue hydrangeas but I thought it was more to do with an adjustment to its new location and because it just came out of the store where it was under shade. So I put up a screen over the plant and took that away several months after. Since then, it thrived.

    Ianna

  • midnightsmum (Z4, ON)
    13 years ago

    Rita - I can't believe that you can get a shovel into the ground!!!

    Nancy.

  • newyorkrita
    Original Author
    13 years ago

    The ground was fine. The soil felt cold to the touch but hey, it's only March so no big surprise there. This was actually a great time to get those shrubs moved as the weather is cool so no transplant shock. Plus the Summerseets are not even starting growing yet and the hydrangeas have leaf bud swells all along their branches so are ready to wake up for spring and start growing.

    This was quite the project and not really something I wanted to do but had to do. After that tree came down last year the hydrangeas ended up in full sun instead of the nice part shade they used to have. So now they are in part shade again. Same thing for the ferns and hosta in front of them, they used to thrive in part shade but just all fried in the new setting of full sun. So I will be moving them all over to were the shrubs are now.

    My beautiful blue lacecap hydrangeas I had gotten mail order as small shrubs from Fairweather Gardens afew years ago. Just when they had grown into their spot and looked fabulous in the setting with ferns and hosta the tree fell and poof, I had to move everything.

    I will have to see what I can do about getting them more blue again like they used to be. Not that the rose color is not pretty but I liked them blue better.