LSU Agriculture Center Hammond Research Station Field day June-21-2023- AGAVE oyatifolia-Whale's Tongue Agave

 Whales Tongue pics and video

HUMMER HAVEN- Abita Springs, Louisiana

 My family has been part of the world of wholesale nurseries and greenhouses and exotic birds and photography for several generations.

 

 

Maybe more about that in the near future.

I am starting a YouTube channel. It will be used to see the places we go to and the botanical wonders we come across.

Here are some videos I took with a phone camera in 2020 . The family estate was sold after my last parent died. We kept it for a year and a half. It was 10 city blocks of property that went down to a white sand beach and a small river. It had massively huge

Bald Cypress

Taxodium distichum.

 

It will be my first official posting of external videos attached to my YouTube channel.

 

https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLLyjrC2muCDPDcsDLHIxnr9pv6iY09uLp

 

Here is to a new future.

My birthday will be August 12th, 2023.

I will have survived to have the 65th anniversary of my being born.  

It could not have been done without my family, dead and present. My friends, dead and present, and my wonderful husband of 25 years, Stefan. 

Thank you all.

Now, I eagerly look to the future and seeing and participating in all the botanical and horticultural events I can do in the time before me.

 

It is coming back. August 1st, 2023, the Southern Horticulturalist is returning.

 It has been a very long time. After I was made to move out of my home of 25 years, and taking a pause from my blog, I will begin posting more content after August 1, 2023.

 

 

The end of an era

After almost 25 years investing into this garden and the house and the property, it has regretfully come to an end.
 The home sold to a stranger  who has let the gardens die and become ruined. It is always sad when I take time to drive by and see how much has suffered.

August 2013-A huge garden this season

I had to show some shots of how huge the gardens are this year.  The hummingbirds and butterflies are great and plentiful.

Hydrangea paniculata 'Limelight' ('Limelight' panicle hydrangea)

Hydrangea paniculata 'Limelight' 

('Limelight' panicle hydrangea)

Blooming in our WynnFyrnn Garden in zip code 70433 in July 2013

Go to our Hydrangea 'Limelight" page for cultivation and specific information

This specimen shrub is 7 feet high and 6 feet wide.
The bloom heads are over 18 inches tall and 12 inches across.

Hydrangea paniculata

Hydrangea paniculata 

Panicle Hydrangea 

Hydrangeaceae

Names: Panicle Hydrangea, Tree Hydrangea

Hydrangea paniculata 'Grandiflora'

Family: Hydrangeaceae (hy-drain-jee-AY-see-ee) 

Genus: Hydrangea (hy-DRAIN-juh) 

Species: paniculata (pan-ick-yoo-LAY-tuh)

Cultivar: Grandiflora

Height:

6-8 ft. (1.8-2.4 m)

Spacing:

6-8 ft. (1.8-2.4 m)

Hardiness:

USDA Zone 3a: to -39.9 °C (-40 °F)

USDA Zone 3b: to -37.2 °C (-35 °F)

USDA Zone 4a: to -34.4 °C (-30 °F)

USDA Zone 4b: to -31.6 °C (-25 °F)

USDA Zone 5a: to -28.8 °C (-20 °F)

USDA Zone 5b: to -26.1 °C (-15 °F)

USDA Zone 6a: to -23.3 °C (-10 °F)

USDA Zone 6b: to -20.5 °C (-5 °F)

USDA Zone 7a: to -17.7 °C (0 °F)

USDA Zone 7b: to -14.9 °C (5 °F)

USDA Zone 8a: to -12.2 °C (10 °F)

USDA Zone 8b: to -9.4 °C (15 °F)

USDA Zone 9a: to -6.6 °C (20 °F)70433 zip code

USDA Zone 9b: to -3.8 °C (25 °F)

Sun Exposure:

Sun to Partial Shade I do not have them in direct afternoon sun.

Danger:

Parts of plant are poisonous if ingested. Not sure which parts. Just do nut eat any of it.

Bloom Color:

White/Near White. Mine are  snow white.

Bloom Time:

Mid Summer. Mine start in July

Late Summer/Early Fall

Foliage:

Bronze-Green

Other details:

Average Water Needs; Water regularly; do not overwater

Soil pH requirements:

5.6 to 6.0 (acidic)

6.1 to 6.5 (mildly acidic)

Patent Information:

Non-patented

Propagation Methods:

From softwood cuttings. I make cuttings after I cut bloom heads off. Usually in late Summer.

Seed Collecting:

N/A: plant does not set seed, flowers are sterile, or plants will not come true from see

Hydrangea paniculata

Scientific classification

Kingdom: Plantae

(unranked): Angiosperms

(unranked): Eudicots

(unranked): Asterids

Order: Cornales

Family: Hydrangeaceae

Genus: Hydrangea

Species: H. paniculata

Binomial name

Hydrangea paniculata

Siebold

Habitat

native to Japan and China

zone 3

Habit and Form

deciduous large shrub or small tree

branching resembles a fountain, branches come from one central point and cascade over

branches heavily & looks like branches are tangled

10' to 20' tall with an equal spread

fast growth rate

coarse texture.

I have some treated as standards and are letting them get taller each year. Some are as large and broad bushy shrubs that I keep the tops trimmed on.

  

Summer Foliage

opposite leaf arrangement, however leaves are whorled towards leaf tip

leaves are 3" to 6" long and about half as wide

leaves are elliptical with serrate leaf margins

dark green leaf color

high quality foliage

pubescent undersides especially near the veins

petiole up to 1" long.

Autumn Foliage

My leaves just go from green to a burned adge effect and then the leaves turn a redish rust for the Fall.

not ornamentally significant

Flowers

white flowers maturing to a pink

blooms mid July into September

flowers form a cone shaped panicle

panicle can be up to 8" long and 6" wide

panicle is combination of unshowy fertile flowers and showy sterile flowers

strong scent. 

very showy.

Fruit

dry capsule

not ornamentally important

Bark

shreds when mature

gray brown color

stems are stout and reddish brown.

Culture

full to partial shade

requires a moist, organic, fertile soil

mulch the root zone

protect young plants in winter for they are more tender than the older plants

prune after flowering

transplants easily

salt tolerant

does not do well in hot, dry conditions

flower color is dependant on soil pH

acid soil procedures blue flowers, alkaline produces pink

Landscape Use

specimen

high quality foliage

specimen

groupings

mass plantings

to add textural variety to a landscape

naturalizing

flower affect.

Liabilities

 Ours are grown in zip code 70433

lack of winter hardiness

in zone 5 twig kill and especially flower bud injury is likely

leaf spot, powdery mildew, scales, mites

flower color changes with soil type.

ID Features

opposite leaf arrangement, whorled at tips

large cone shaped white flowers

fountain shaped habit.

Propagation

by cuttings

by seed

Cultivars/Varieties

'Burgundy Lace' and 'Pink Diamond' - These forms bear 8"-10" long flower panicles composed of sterile florets colored pink. The color intensifies as the flowers age, though hot weather and sun may lessen this effect.

'Grandiflora' - The famous "PeeGee Hydrangea", this plant flowers with tight heads of sterile white florets than turn pink and brown with age. This plant is often grown as a small tree, though some garden observers decry the wholesale use of this variety in landscapes.

'Kyushu' - This selection is a vigorous, upright shrubby plant with upright panicles of white flowers. It begins bloom earlier in the season (July) and as a young plant.

We have the 'LIMELIGHT' variety.  See the other oages on the website for information and photos.

'Limelight' - A new introduction, this form is unique for its bright lime-green flowers which form a rounded panicle. It grows to 8' tall and flowers profusely.

'Praecox' - This plant begins blooming earlier in the season (July) with loose panicles composed of both showy sterile and inconspicuous fertile florets. The effect is different than other forms and the plant reaches 15' tall.

'Tardiva' - Increasingly common on the market, this plant flowers later (August) with large bloom panicles held on thick stems. It grows to 8' tall and is often shrubby in habit.

'Unique' - This early-blooming, shrubby selection has large rounded panicles of white sterile florets. The blooms age to pink and the plant reaches 10' tall. It is increasingly common in the trade.