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.

June 2013 Garden shots and Hybrid Sunflowers in Bloom

These are HD shots of some of the flowers in the gardens in June 2013. We grew new varieties of hybrid sunflowers this year.  The have been spectacular.  The colors have proven to be very attractive to the visitors of the gardens.

We are collecting seeds for use next year. The birds like the Cardinals and Wrens have been sharing in the seed harvest too. We take the first and primary seed heads and we leave all the secondary heads to dry on the stem and  let the birds enjoy them.

Some of the Abutilon hybrids we grow as tree-standards are performing in top-notch this year.

The garden walks lined with various ferns are lush.

The hydrangea are beautiful, and have very large bloom heads

   

A Rose in bloom

This was a tree that  got damaged in a storm in June of 2007. I had the top removed and  used this snag to support vines. The vines used to cover it all all evergreen vines. There are Hedera helix, Ficus pumila (Fig vine), and a purple Passiflora.

   

These are ground covers and grasses planted in and on dead tree logs we utilized from the trees that were taken down. After just a few short years the logs are no longer visible.