Yes, now would be a good time to plant. Any variety that is hardy would work. Oakleafs do well once they are established and do not need as much water as the others. But you need to add compost if your soil is also clayish because oakleafs tend to die quickly if allowed to sit in wet soil. Most of the hydrangeas in my home used to be here. The majority are mophead, which includes a lacecap that came with a mophead tag! Hee hee hee! But I also have oakleafs and arborescens. You can also plant paniculatas (may be difficult to find but Calloways and NHG have carried them in past years) or serratas (they tend to be smaller and also difficult to find locally).

The only time when planting under a tree is a problem is when the tree has roots near the top few inches of the soil (then the roots can compete with hydrangeas for moisture or fertilizer) or when it produces juglone (toxic to hydrangeas). Local nurseries should be able to tell you this information if you have the name of the tree(s).

What do you think has been the problem before?

Luis

PS- Limelight has been for sale before at Calloways, most recently last year and in tree form. By May-ish they tend to put hydrangeas on sale so be on the lookout if they have Limelight this year again. The green color of the bloom lasts longer if you keep the shrub in more shade than called for with hydrangeas so, give it afternoon shade as usual and some morning shade. Experiment to see what works best for you. For example, try sun between 6-9am/10am during the summer months. The best fertilizers are organic compost or 1/2 to 1 cup of cottonseed meal. The local clay soil can be combined with organic compost to improve its drainage. I apply greensand, garden sulphur, aluminum sulfate or iron-chelated liquid compounds (whichever one I have already) in the Spring and again in July-September. You could add expanded shale too (absorbs water when wet and releases it when dry). Top it off with mulch (3-4" of any organic mulch).

This post was edited by luis_pr on Sun, Apr 6, 14 at 22:46

Yikes, there are so many type of compost. What kind do you use?I will have to Google Greensand, (apply greensand, garden sulphur, aluminum sulfate or iron-chelated liquid compounds) or is this what you use to amend? I think my problem has been soil, used miracle grow garden soil and water, but I'm willing to try again. Sorry newbie here ðÂÂÂ

Ok so greensand I will have to try! Do you mix that with the clay and another compost like mushroom? Or just soil and Greensand?

Well, I go to Lowes and order whatever "organic compost" they have. I am not too picky about compost products myself although some people may prefer one brand over another. I sometimes use my own if the compost bin has.

And yes, any one of those soil pH control products applied regularly should help keep the soil pH in check. Greensand is common in organic minded stores and some small stores use it to distinguish themselves from the competition. But the bottom line probably is that any of them will do the job. I ran out of greensand last autumn so I am going to use the aluminum sulfate and garden Sulphur I have until I exhaust that supply.

If you have few acid loving plants then do not spend too much on the largest containers of these products.

Apply the greensand twice yearly, only as a soil pH amendment, not as a fertlizer. I apply some on top of the soil in April and July (twice a year) and then water. The packages give you an idea of how much to use.

Mix the clayish soil with organic compost when preparing the soil that will go into the plant hole. Then on future years, you can feed the plant an annual layer of organic compost in Spring. Maybe a 1/4" to 1/2" or so up to the drip line? Or 1/4 to 1/2 cup of cottonseed meal or a chemical fertilizer like Osmocote 10-10-10 (per label directions) that is advertised as general purpose and slow release.

During the rest of the growing season (stop all fertilizers in July so the plant goes dormant on its own), I apply some weak fertilizers like liquid seaweed, coffee grounds from Starbucks and-or liquid fish. You can add these products to other flowering shrubs like roses too.

At this point, I am out of liquid fish but I got coffee grounds and still have liquid seaweed from last year. The seaweed can be applied as a foliar spray (spray the leaves early in the morning for the plant to absorb some of the nutrients); but I always prefer to apply it to the soil since some hydrangeas suffer.from powdery mildew and I have some "humidity sources" around me. Roses can suffer from blackspot on the leaves so I prefer not to get their leaves wet either and apply these products to the soil too.

And then there was the last reason for applying these products to the soil... I caught one of my pooches licking the leaves of a rose bush after I added liquid fish.... :o) God, what will they not eat??? Ha!

Luis

Thanks for all the advice, would love too see pics. Of your hydrangea garden, or what type you grow.

I bought my limelight last fall at NHG and it might've been going dormant for the season because it didn't look great. I'm also very new to gardening and killed 5 hydrangeas last year because I thought you planted anything and it would just grow! Not so much. Lots of stress and some patience gardening has taught me and well I'm trying again! Only with limelight first though. Husband said to throw her out because she looked dead. I left her in the container all winter planted her in the ground late February and look at her now!!! I am really hoping I get blooms this year. She's gorgeous and content! NHG seems to really take care of there plants and I would go back for more. I am very grateful for Luis_pr because he always has helped me with any and all questions! Good luck liz_p and keep us posted and don't forget pics ðÂÂÂ

Wow! It looks amazing. I went a couple weeks ago and they had none, but I think this locally nursery in cedar hill might have some. I will work on it this weekend. Might have to order some from eBay saw 1gallon for 10bucks.

Make sure shipping costs are ok because shipping costs can be expen$ive. I had to stop an online order for a rose many years ago when I saw that I was going to pay more for shipping than for the rose. I had to buy something like 3-5 in order to get a cheaper shipping cost. Of course, I remember looking for more but I just never could make the cutoff number of plants... sigh... Can't remember the name of the place now; I just remember that it was not a place in TX.