flowers

How to Plan a Gorgeous Cutting Garden

Flowers are nature’s jewelry. There’s no doubt about it, the bright blooms that pop up on a wide variety of trees, shrubs, and plants paint the world in color. I’m so thankful that fruit grows and seeds spread through the beautiful process of blooming. Can you imagine a world with no flowers blooming? Me either! And if you want to learn how to plan a cutting garden, then you clearly want all the benefits that come with growing flowers that can be cut. While the purpose of planting a flower garden is to derive enjoyment from the colorful (and often fragrant) blooms the garden will produce. You can double that enjoyment by planning and planting a flower cutting garden so your indoor space benefits as well.

The Benefits of a Cutting Garden

Knowing how to plan a cutting garden can reap many rewards for you (and your neighbors)! And recently an article was released in Southern Living Magazine stating Gardening is Just as Good as Going to the Gym. I’ll take it! But beyond these physical and emotional benefits, you can also add multi-purpose use to the list of benefits of having a cutting garden.

With careful planning and plant selection, you can enjoy blooms outdoors and indoors throughout the growing season. If your outdoor space is large enough, you may even have enough blooms to create a bouquet to share with someone else from your flower cutting garden. I have personally known people who have donated blooms from their yards to use in weddings, banquets, and other occasions where blooms are needed. It’s a wonderful feeling to grow beautiful blooms and to be able to bring them indoors and/or share them with others. Before I begin with the cutting garden planning, here’s a bouquet from my garden last summer. (If you look closely, you can even see some mint I added in for a pop of green.)

So what does it take to have beautiful blooms ready for cutting?

How to Plan a Cutting Garden

Location

I feel like I mention location a lot, but honestly, in gardening, it’s important! Most flowers that bear colorful blooms are sun-lovers, so start by selecting a location that receives at least 6 hours of sunlight each day. If you haven’t yet drawn a Sun Map of your house, I can’t recommend it enough. You create a sun map once and then you can reference it forever. And while flower beds are the likely place to grow flowers, don’t rule out containers, especially if the sunniest part of your yard is a porch or patio.

No flower garden space? A flower cutting garden can be included within your vegetable garden if space is limited. The blooms will attract beneficial pollinators, plus many flowers provide natural pest control for garden plants. Taller blooms, like zinnias and smaller varieties of sunflowers, can be place near shorter, wider plants, such as squash.

Soil Preparation

Prepare the soil for a flower cutting garden just like you would for a vegetable garden. Incorporate organic material, like compost (learn how to compost here!) or well-rotted cow manure, into the soil to improve drainage, aeration, and fertility prior to planting seeds or plants. If you’re planning to grow in containers, choose a good quality potting mix to get your plants started off on the right foot… or root.

Planning The Layout

Easy access to all plants is needed in a flower cutting garden since you will be inside the garden frequently to cut blooms. Wide rows with walkable paths in-between is ideal if you have a large area.

Plant groupings that will place plants with the same sun/water/food needs together is essential for healthy plants. Grouping plants together according to their needs will also make maintenance work easier for you during the growing season. Think about tulips and hyacinths, both which are grown from bulbs planted in the fall. Their care and needs are similar, so they would work well in the same area.

After grouping the plants together according to their needs, plan their planting location according to mature height. Place the tallest plants in back, medium height in the middle and shortest plants in front so all blooms can be seen in the garden.

Bloom sequence should be considered also when planning the layout of a flower cutting garden. Flowers have varying bloom times and can be grouped in early, mid and late season arrangements. For example, in our front flower bed, our daffodils always bloom first, so they’re planted up front, and the day lilies, which pop up soon after are behind them.

Annuals and Perennials

Both annuals and perennials can be a part of a cutting garden. As the annuals begin to fade, dig them up, replenish the soil with more organic material, then re-plant the space with another round of annuals or fall flowers. Annuals give you a chance to play around with different types of blooms each year. Some of my favorite annuals for cutting are:

Ageratum (Red Sea variety)
Prairie Sun Rudbeckia (Black Eyed Susan)
Larkspur
Sunflowers (small varieties)
Zinnias (State Fair mix is my favorite)

You want something in bloom at all times so you’re never without ready-to-cut blooms, so be sure to check each package for how long the seeds will take to germinate, and then reach maturity. For perennial blooms, I love to choose flowering shrubs that provide big blooms with very little effort. I know my time is limited, so fussy plants are out and low maintenance is in. Here are my picks for perennials blooms:

Hydrangea (particularly Dear Dolores and Limelight)
Camellia (these late winter/ early spring blooms are easy to bring indoors)
Gardenia (the fragrance is indescribable… amazing!)
Peony
Bearded Iris
Daisies

Flower Choices- Long Stems

While many flowers can be cut and used in bud vases, if you’re looking for full bouquets, you’ll need blooms with longer stems. Flowers with long stems are ideal for planting in a flower cutting garden because of their versatility of use and ease of cutting. Long stemmed varieties perfect for bouquets are

Gladiolus
dahlias
zinnia
tulip
daffodil
delphinium
allium
sweet pea
cosmos
snap dragons
Mexican sunflower
ageratum

With all of the choices for a cutting garden, I know it will be difficult to decide. My husband thinks I’m going to slowly turn our yard into a jungle of blooms, and he may be right. I’d love to know what your favorite varieties of flowers are for cutting gardens. Do you have any that you wish you’d stayed away from? Let me know in the comments below.

Have a great week and happy flower gardening!

by Courtney 2 Comments

How to Prune Camellia Bushes

How to Prune Camellias

Wondering how to prune camellias? This time of year, with its dead grass and leaf-less trees, offers a beautiful respite in the form of pink, red, and white blooms. Along with green glossy leaves, the fragrant camellia (Camellia japonica) is also known as the ‘winter rose’ because it blooms during the winter months. This rare blooming trait, combined with its rich evergreen leaves make this a popular shrub. And it’s no wonder! Who wouldn’t want a beautiful reminder that spring is close at hand? And the beautiful blooms are perfect to bring inside for a bit of bright, floral decor in the midst of winter.

Camellias, though fairly low maintenance, do need to be pruned to keep them healthy, but require very little maintenance aside from a yearly pruning. Follow these camellia pruning tips and get the most from this beautiful and popular evergreen shrub.

Pruning Time

Camellias should be pruned immediately after they are finished blooming, which varies based on where you live. For those in the southeast, this could be as early as February, but those in more northern climates could prune as late as May.

While the shrub can technically be pruned any time during the year, you may be removing buds and the shrub won’t have as many blooms if you prune too late after blooming. So, if you definitely want to enjoy your winter roses the following year, definitely plan to prune right after blooming has finished.

Shaping the Shrub

Use sharp snips and prune off the ends of branches to give the camellia a desired shape. If you are happy with the size of the shrub, only snip off about an inch of the branch ends. If you want the shrub smaller, prune off 3-4 inches of the branch ends. For more of a “tree” look for your camellia, take off the lower branches, leaving one main trunk. This is a beautiful look if your camellia is part of a flower bed with other low-lying bushes.

There are many camellia cultivars and their mature sizes range from 2 feet to 20 feet, depending on the particular one you have. A slow-growing, 2-foot tall camellia won’t need pruning as often as a cultivar that will reach 20 feet tall. However, to keep any size or variety of camellia healthy it will need an occasional pruning.

Hard Pruning

Camellias live for decades, trust me… we have some, and the larger cultivars may need a hard pruning every decade to rejuvenate them. If you have an older camellia that is looking straggly and not producing many blooms, give it a hard pruning by cutting the entire shrub back to 2-3 feet tall. While it may seem like you’ve killed your precious camellia, fear not. They’re a hardy plant, and ours have come back just as green and glossy as ever. This same hard pruning also works well for old and leggy azaleas. You can see in the image below, a full camellia bush on the left, and a leggy bush on the right that needs a hard pruning.

Wait until spring to do a hard pruning if possible. If not possible, just know your camellia probably won’t bloom again until the second year after a hard pruning.

Why Prune?

Camellias produce an abundance of small branches that are covered with dense leaves year around. This creates an ideal environment for pests and disease. Removing some of the inner branches will allow sunlight and air to circulate in the middle of the shrub. This will help prevent pests from creating a home within the shrub’s interior. It also prevents the onset of diseases that thrive in dark, warm environments.

Pruning keeps camellias looking their best, producing the most blooms possible and keeps the evergreen shrub healthy. For all the beauty that camellias give off, I figure I can fit time in for a bit of pruning to help them look their best. I’d love to know your favorite shade of camellia blooms. And how have your bushes have done with pruning in the past? Let me know in the comments below.

Have a great week and happy gardening!

by Courtney 2 Comments

8 Tips for Planting Bulbs in the Fall

Tips for Planting Bulbs in the Fall

Everyone enjoys the colorful beauty of spring flowers, like tulips and daffodils. There’s a reason they’re so popular with florists. However, in order to enjoy the springtime flower show, planting bulbs in the fall is essential. So why not tackle the bulb planting while the weather is pleasant and the leaves are falling? The variety of bulbs, shapes, and colors are seemingly endless, so plan out your flower beds and fill them with beautiful spring-time blooms.

Some popular bulbs to plant for spring blooms are:

Here are some tips for creating your own in-ground or potted spring blooms as soon as the leaves flutter from the trees this fall.

Tip #1- It’s all about the bulbs

For planting bulbs in the fall, or any season, always select bulbs that are firm and plump.

Tip #2- Location, Location, Location

Spring flowering bulbs need 3-4 months of cold temperatures to prepare them for blooming and should be planted in late fall for best results.
Select a location that will receive at least 6 hours of sunlight each day.
Flower bulbs do best in loose soil that drains well.

Tip #3- Prepare for the Bulbs

Prepare the flower bed by digging down 6 inches and and creating a 50-50 mix of soil and compost to re-fill bed.
Dig a hole in prepared soil 3-4 deep.

Tip #4- Points Up!

Place one bulb per hole, pointy side up. If bulb does not have a pointy end, don’t fret, most bulbs will right themselves if planted upside down.
Cover bulbs with soil. Water thoroughly.

Tip #5- Don’t Feed Until Spring

Do not fertilize your planted bulbs until spring.

Tip #6- Prevention is Key

To prevent the bulbs from heaving (bulbs being pushed up and out of the soil by the freezing and thawing of the soil), add a thick layer of mulch on top of the soil. Straw, pine needles, or leaves will help keep the soil a constant temperature and prevent heaving.
To prevent squirrels from digging up flower bulbs, lay a piece of chicken wire on top of the soil before adding mulch. Spring flowers can grow up through the chicken wire, but squirrels can’t dig down through it. (Those pesky intruders will be thwarted!)

Tip #7- Use a Container if Needed

Use well-draining potting soil for containers, and plant bulbs the same way mentioned above.
Spring flower bulbs planted in containers can be kept as-is in any protected location, like a garage or patio, where the winter temperature will remain between 35 and 40 degrees.
Check containers periodically. If the top inch of soil is dry to the touch, add water.
In the early spring, place containers in direct sunlight to warm the soil and awaken the spring bulbs to bloom.

Tip #8- Plant Now for Gifts

Containers of spring flowers make an ideal gift, so consider planting extra containers this fall.
Plant one tulip bulb surrounded by several grape hyacinth bulbs in a small, decorative container.
A terra cotta pot filled with daffodil bulbs is the perfect gift to welcome spring.
Paper White bulbs are easy to grow in containers and will return for many future springs when properly cared for.

I hope this has inspired you to seize the fall and get your bulbs planted for fabulous spring blooms. Planting bulbs in the fall means a little work now (when the weather is pleasant), but it will reap big rewards come the spring. I’d love to know what bulbs you enjoy planting in the fall! Comment below and let us know!

by Courtney 2 Comments

How to Dry Hydrangeas

Hydrangeas are my all time favorite flowering shrub. Their low-maintenance and incredible blooms make them an easy choice for someone who wants big color and presence in their yard. The large variety of shapes and colors give hydrangeas the ability to fit into any landscape. Many garden centers and nurseries carry multiple varieties of this beautiful shrubs, but even if you don’t have access locally, Amazon now offers multiple types of hydrangeas!

So how can you extend the beauty of hydrangeas beyond their growing season? Dry hydrangeas! Knowing how to hydrangeas allows them to continue to be a beautiful decor addition throughout the winter and spring. And while I used be intimidated at the thought of drying my own flowers, I have found that is truly is simple to dry hydrangeas. If you’ve pruned your hydrangeas earlier in the winter then chances are you have big, beautiful blooms just waiting to be dried!

How to Dry Hydrangeas

To start, choose hydrangea blooms that are full and brightly colored. Drying will cause the color to fade slightly, so the brighter the blooms the better. Once you’ve chosen your blooms, don’t cut them immediately. I like to wait for a few days to a week after their peak, so they’re already drying a bit on the shrub. (You’ll notice my fresh hydrangeas already have a few dried petals.)
Cut your hydrangea blooms with a good sized stem (8-12 inches). I cut the stems at an angle, but this may not be absolutely necessary.
Place hydrangeas in a large vase or other tall container, so the stems aren’t resting at the bottom. The blooms should rest easily over the top edge, so they’re aren’t crushed.
Leave flowers to dry for one to two weeks. You will be able to feel the blooms once they’re ready. They will have a crispy feel, and the colors of the blooms will be slightly muted. The flowers are now ready to use in decor or as a lovely gift. If any of the petals have browned as they’ve dried, you can remove them carefully, but I like to leave them in for a bit of color contrast.

Learning how to dry hydrangeas is certainly not difficult, but it does take a bit of wait time. I’ve heard of other methods using upside down hanging or silica gel, but I find that this method is simple. I’m all about simple at this stage of life.

For information on how to use all types of dried flowers, check out this mini-guide from FTD.com just for you!

I love to arrange my dried hydrangea blooms in a large glass vase, but I’d love to know if you use hydrangea blooms in your decor! Let me know in the comments below and happy gardening!

by Courtney Leave a Comment

Simple DIY Cherry Blossom Branches

In our part of the country, spring seemed to make an early arrival this year. The tulips trees opened up in early February (see below), and for the first time in long time, they didn’t get “bit” by a cold snap. Now that those early bloomers are done, the azaleas are starting to show their colors along with the dogwoods. But they may not fare as well as the others. This week, the temps will be below freezing almost every night. This doesn’t bode well for delicate flowers, but we’ll see how they hold up!

I love to bring the outdoors in when it comes to decorating. This is one of the reasons I plant cutting flowers, like zinnias, in my garden each year. I told my husband when we were first married that flowers weren’t really my thing. Clearly, I was lying and didn’t know it. Now there are cut flowers in our house at all times, if possible. Right now, I have camellias on the kitchen table. Blossoms always brighten up a room!

Blossoming branches are just as lovely as cutting flowers, but not quite as easy to successfully display inside. So several years ago I decided to make my own cherry blossom branches to use in spring decorating. They’re super simple and are able to be used year after year. I simply store them on the top shelf of a closet so they are less likely to be broken (or turned into swords). Using a petals from artificial flowers (I know, but it’s necessary…), hot glue, and branches from your backyard, you can easily create this DIY decor stunner too.

The Supplies

4-5 long, thin branches (I used birch, but any thin type will do)

Small bunch of artificial flowers (The Dollar Tree or any you have laying around)

Glue gun and stick

The How-To

Gather 4 or 5 long (20-25 inches), thin branches from your yard. If you don’t have trees, head to a friend’s yard. I’m sure they won’t mind sharing their sticks. I used Birch limbs because they’re thin, and they are usually always around. It’s also nice if the branches have little “stems” or nodes, as this gives your blossoms something to stick to. But if your branch is smooth, just roll with it.
Warm up your glue gun on a heat-safe surface. While your glue is warming, use scissors to cut the individual petals off of the artificial flowers. I tried to find the smallest petals in my store’s limited selection. An artificial hydrangea would be a great choice, but use what you have!
Once your petals are ready and the glue is warm. Take one petal at a time, dab glue on the bottom center of the petal, and quickly place it on your branch. Press the bottom edges of the petal around the branch or node to give it a slight curve.
Repeat the petal gluing process on various places on your branches. Don’t space them so evenly that it looks uniform. Place two petals close together, then another further away. Think natural! When you’re finished, you’ll have branches that look like they’re just opening up for spring.
Place the limbs in a vase or large jar and allow them to rest against the side, or arrange them. To arrange, take a block of floral foam and place it in a decorative container. Then take your cherry blossom branches and one at a time push them into the foam. Adjust them slightly if needed, but you don’t want to over work them or the foam won’t hold as firmly.
Cover the foam block with Spanish moss or any decorative covering and enjoy!

This simple DIY craft will bring a touch of spring into your home that can be used year after year. These branches make a lovely Easter tree ready for small ornaments to welcome in the joyous season, or budget-friendly wedding decor. For those excited gardeners, it will help you fill the time before planting can begin. I’d love to know if you give this craft a try. Until then, Happy Gardening!

Coming Soon!

by Courtney 4 Comments

The Best Flowers for Vegetable Gardens

With both beauty and functionality, flowers are a must have in any vegetable garden. And I admit that I only began putting them in my garden because I wanted fresh flowers to bring inside. Little did I know at the time, they serve a much greater purpose.

Benefits of Flowers in the Garden

Bring on the pollinators– I know this is probably common knowledge, but bees love flowers, and flowers love bees. There’s a reason many flowers are brightly colored; it’s to draw in pollinators. And while bees pollinating and drinking nectar from your flowers is a good thing itself, this also means those bees can pollinate your other plants as well.
Color! Why not think about beauty and aesthetics when it comes to planning your garden space? Flowers provide eye candy for your growing area. And doesn’t that make you want to spend more time out there? Beauty draws us in, and I’m more willing to weed and fertilize my garden if it’s a pleasant and enjoyable place to be.
Natural repellants– Some varieties of flowers will actually help keep insects and other pests at bay. If you’re trying to keep your garden as insecticide free as possible, then be sure to consider what types of flowers can help you accomplish this. (See the list below for suggestions.)
Decor– Each year I plant several varieties of flowers in the garden, and at least one I use primarily for cutting and bringing inside. For the past several years, my choice has been zinnias. They’re brightly colored, easy to grow, and are tall and lean (so they don’t get in the way on the ground). While you’re harvesting and bringing in those veggies and herbs, why not bring in some beautiful blooms to brighten up your dining table or counter?

My Favorite Garden Flowers-

Marigolds– They truly are the workhorse of the garden. Each year I plant marigolds in 2 of my 4 raised beds. They help to repel insects that could damage growing plants, as well as nematodes that attack from underneath. The bonus is that they’re beautiful with their vibrant color, and they bloom for months. Last year I finally had to start cutting mine back; they tried to take over! The picture above is one plant that flowed out of the raised bed and almost across the path. And it still had blooms to spare!

Sunflowers- These tall beauties are a favorite of the little gardeners. And they can be beneficial in several ways: first, they can help shade plants that may not tolerate full sun in the spring/summer garden. Secondly, some varieties can be harvested themselves for seeds that you can eat. While sunflowers are generally beneficial, do plant them away from potatoes and beans, since the roots of a sunflower produce a chemical that can harm these plants.

Zinnias– While I love zinnias primarily because of their “decoration” factor for my home and garden, they also require very little maintenance. Summer gardens take time and care, so it’s nice to have some plants that don’t need much tending. Many varieties grow tall and lean, so they leave room below for whatever else you may be growing. (I usually plant mine along the garden fence, so they have something to prop on if needed.) And though zinnias are perennial, their seeds are very easy to save at the end of the season, so you can have seeds ready to go for next year. Beautiful, low maintenance, and practical… that’s a winning combination in my garden!

Nasturtium- I skipped putting nasturtium in my garden last year, and I won’t make that mistake again. These low lying beauties help ward off troublesome insects and also give a boost to the plants growing around them. Squash borers have destroyed my summer squash plants for the past two season, but this year I’ll be armed with nasturtium and ace bandages (more on that to come in a later post). They’re also a great companion for cucumbers, okra, and melons since they deter aphids. With their blooms are beautiful, they add a lovely touch to any garden space. Some varieties have edible leaves as well, but I haven’t used any myself. Nasturtium salad, anyone?

I’d love to know what flowers you’re planning to plant in your garden this spring. Now is the time to get planning! Here’s a fun infographic to keep on hand to remind you of beneficial flowers to have in the garden: Have a great week and Happy Gardening!

by Courtney 3 Comments

DIY Vintage Tea Canister

Winter can be a real doozy when you would like to simply be outside with hands in the dirt. But for those of you waiting out the winter resting period, here’s a fun craft to spruce up your space. This cute DIY “vintage” tea canister can be used to display those freshly cut camellia blooms from your yard or a small bouquet from the store. It’s also perfect for art supplies, utensils, or any other items that need a “space.” It’s easy enough to complete in just an afternoon, so it also makes a great last-minute gift! It’s super simple, and you’ll only need a computer, printer, canister, scissors, and Mod Podge. And since there’s some wait time while the Podge is drying, you can easily create this while you have other things going on.

Why make this? I recently read a new book from a fellow gardening blogger (look for a giveaway soon!), and she stressed the importance of beauty in gardening. We want our spaces to look nice, and there are some simple ways to do that using things we already have. While I can’t get out in the garden and add beauty in the winter (almost everything is dead!), I can start to think about how to use what I have to make my home more inviting. Enter the peanut canister and a free printable image!

Vintage Prints

You can google vintage prints or advertisements and find lots of images out there. But wanted to find images I actually had permission to use and were good quality. Lucky for me, I stumbled upon Touch the Wood. This furniture restoration company does beautiful work, and they offer FREE printable images for folks to use. These can be printed and transferred onto furniture, or used in any kind of paper application. Check out their site and be inspired by the beautiful pieces they’ve created!

I was able to snag this lovely Reynolds Tea advertisement to dress up my peanut canister, and I was so surprised at how easy the whole thing was. Let’s get started!

Supplies:

1 piece 8.5×11 card stock (I used kraft)

Mod Podge (and brush)

Empty canister or can (use a metal can if you want to place water and flowers directly in container)

ruler

pencil

printed image

The Steps:

Decide what print and canister you’d like to use. I used a peanut container, but if you want to put flowers and water directly in the canister, use an empty 28oz metal can. Print off your image in a size that will fit on your container. (I printed my image in a 5×8 size.)
Place canister on top of image, lining up the top of the paper with the top edge of your canister. (If your can has a rounded edge at the top and bottom, be sure to line your paper up with the bottom of this edge, since you’ll let that rounded edge show.) Begin marking where the bottom of the canister meets the paper. Do this in several places on the paper.
Once you’ve made several marks along the paper, take off the can and use a ruler to draw a straight line through your marks. Cut along this line. (If you’d like your image centered top to bottom, then simply use the ruler to measure the height of your can and use that measurement to cut your paper to fit.) I knew I’d be using this for flowers that would spill over the top a bit, so the lower the image, the better.
Prep your can by applying a small area of Mod Podge. (My canister was a little larger than my paper, so I took a small scrap piece of the kraft paper and attached it to the back side first.) Once you get the hang of it, coat your can in Mod Podge, then begin wrapping your paper around the can.
Once the paper is on, use clothes pins to hold it in place while you Mod Podge over the paper. You can do this two ways: 1. Use a super thick layer of Mod Podge and create brush strokes that will be visible once it dries, or 2. use a thinner layer of Podge and apply 2 coats. I opted for #2. I allowed 20 minutes dry time in between coats, and I loved the results.
Give your canister time to dry after your last coat. Don’t let your clothes pins stay on this whole time. As soon as you can, take them off, so they don’t stick to your paper. (This is experience talking here…) And that ruler comes in handy as a drying stick. Where the paper is gapping a bit, I simply went it with another coat of Podge and firmly pressed down. It sealed nicely. Let dry several hours.
In the end you’ll have a container that can hold fresh flowers, art supplies, utensils, or just about anything. If you made your canister out of something with cardboard sides (like my peanut container) simply use a pint mason jar (or a juice glass) inside for fresh flowers that need water.

Creating small spaces of beauty in your home doesn’t have to involve spending money. See what you have laying around! And if you can bring the beauty of the outdoors in, like whatever may be blooming in your yard, then all the better!

I’d love to know how you use what you already have to create beauty in your home. Happy Gardening!

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by Courtney 27 Comments

Why and How to Prune Hydrangeas

Not sure how to prune hydrangeas? Not to worry, you’re in good hands here!

Like the lovely hydrangea, I’d like to think I’m a pretty low maintenance girl. You can ask my husband (most days) and he’d ~~better~~ agree. And as therapeutic and rewarding as gardening is, I don’t have the time to nurture plants for hours on end each week. With three little gardeners to keep me pretty busy, tending plants comes somewhere in-between geography and making sure kids aren’t running full speed into the street.

Low Maintenance Hydrangeas

While refreshing some of the beds around our house (i.e. removing 50+ year old holly and some azalea bushes), I purposely chose our new plants for their beauty, functionality, and super low maintenance (like turf-grass low maintenance). You know, the plants that look like they’re well tended and pruned daily, when in reality they’re on their own in the bitter race for sun and rain, and did I mention we have two dogs?

So, one of my favorite low-maintenance and high wow-factor plants is naturally the hydrangea. They’re fabulously simple to keep alive, and they love to grow in only partial sun, which is a big bonus in a yard with quite a few large trees. These beautiful plants will keep your yard colorful with blooms all summer long. And those gorgeous clusters of blossoms can be easily cut and brought inside for a seemingly fancy (but not really) arrangement. Need you any more persuading to add one of these lovelies to your yard? I didn’t think so. And since learning how to prune hydrangeas is easy, you’ll be ready to plant some in your yard in a jiffy.

How to Prune Hydrangeas

Now, there is the little matter of maintenance, and when it comes to the hydrangea, it’s minimal. Some folks will let their hydrangeas lose foliage in the fall/winter and not cut back the dead stems. In the spring, new branches and leaves will grow, but you’ll have some of the dead branches from the previous year sticking out amongst your new growth, and the shape of your hydrangea will be more uneven and less full. Here’s an example:

You’ll still be able to cut lovely blooms to decorate your tables, but there won’t be as many, and your plant itself will be less full. This doesn’t have to happen when you can take five minutes for pruning your hydrangea and get a fantastic season.

How to trim back a hydrangea

As with most plants, you want to trim them back after they’re done blossoming, and in the case of the hydrangea, I usually wait until just before spring. I live in the southeast, so mid-February is a good time for cutting back. Start with a good pair of pruning shears and cut all of the limbs back to about 10 inches from the ground. (I’ve heard of going shorter, but I’m a little hesitant.)

We may still have a chance of freezing temperatures after this point in February; if we do have an occasional frosty night after the new leaf buds have started forming, I simply cover the plant with a towel at night. This ensures any new growth doesn’t get bitten by the freezing temps. If you’ve just cut your plant back when a frost rolls through, you’re fine not to cover it up.

The Results

Come the spring, you’ll see your hydrangea coming “back to life” with full leaves and blooms just around the corner. By early May, our hydrangea was already blossoming and bigger than last year. You’ll notice the plant itself is much fuller and rounded compared to the unpruned bush I showed you earlier. (Our hydrangea is a Dear Dolores variety, and she’s a beaut!)

The dense leaf growth means that you can’t see “through” the plant, unlike the unpruned hydrangea bush. So, if you’ve never been unsure about how to prune hydrangeas in your yard, you can now give it a try this upcoming winter. You’ll love the results, and your yard will look like a professional has taken over. But don’t worry… your secret is safe with me.

And if you have azaleas or camellias, here are great read on cutting old azaleas way back to make room for healthy new growth and on pruning your camellia bushes! Happy Gardening!

by Courtney 3 Comments

Simple Camellia Decor

I don’t know about where you live, but here the weather has been dreary for the past week, and it’s honestly taking its toll on my sanity. We’ve had an unusually mild fall and winter so far, but gray skies, even when it’s warmer, can still be a bummer. The early winter season is when our camellia plants begin blooming, and it always begins with the white variety, at least in our yard. (You can see a few pink blooming in the back.)

They’re so beautiful and lush that it’s difficult not to admire them, but why keep all that beauty outside? I love to bring flowers in the house, even if I occasionally bring a creepy crawly in with them. The tiny grasshopper infestation of 2014 made me hesitant to bring in hydrangea blooms this year, but I thankfully overcame that pretty quickly. They also come in such a large variety of colors, that you can have a color burst in any room in your house. Our pink camellia bush is much smaller than the rest, but that soft pink color is perfect for Valentine’s Day.

And the bright pink/red variety seems to be very popular in our area. We have three of these bushes in our yard, and since they bloom a bit later than the white variety, we are able to have fresh blooms in the house for over a month.

Camellias are fairly low maintenance; they’d have to be to survive our three-kid and two-dog lifestyle. How do you bring them indoors? I simply find a bloom that’s not fully open (when the petals are starting to bend backwards), and cut 4 to 5 inches of stem below the flower with a good set of pruning shears (or kitchen shears if you’re desperate). While I’m outside, I go ahead and take off most of the leaves, leaving just a few around the flower. These leaves around the flower help them to prop against the jar or dish you place them in, and it gives a beautiful pop of green to your small arrangement.

The next steps are the hardest… just kidding. Simply fill a clear glass jar, or low bowl, part of the way with water and begin adding the blooms. If you realize your stems aren’t touching the water, just add more. There’s really no trick to arranging. I’ve found that four or five blooms perfectly fills the space in a pint mason jar. That’s scientific measurement right there. Once the flowers begin to wilt, simply replace them with fresh flowers (and water, of course).

This is a perfect touch of beauty for your end tables, dining tables, or a sweet gift for a neighbor. If your camellias (or your neighbors!) are blooming, bring some in and enjoy them. They should last for at least a week inside. You could even fancy up your jar by wrapping it in season ribbon or a wide wrap of burlap. The options are endless! Enjoy!

Linked to:

flowers

The Benefits of a Cutting Garden

How to Plan a Cutting Garden

Location

Soil Preparation

Planning The Layout

Annuals and Perennials

Flower Choices- Long Stems

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How to Prune Camellias

Pruning Time

Shaping the Shrub

Hard Pruning

Why Prune?

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Tips for Planting Bulbs in the Fall

Tip #1- It’s all about the bulbs

Tip #2- Location, Location, Location

Tip #3- Prepare for the Bulbs

Tip #4- Points Up!

Tip #5- Don’t Feed Until Spring

Tip #6- Prevention is Key

Tip #7- Use a Container if Needed

Tip #8- Plant Now for Gifts

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Coming Soon!

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Low Maintenance Hydrangeas

How to Prune Hydrangeas

How to trim back a hydrangea

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