NC Gardening

[mb1197]

Ok, I really need some help. Can someone give me some detailed instructions on how to plant hygrangea bushes in this clay down here? I would like to buy a few hydrangea bushes and plant them along one side of my shed. However, I have no clue how to deal with the clay. Should I scoop it all out and put in some soil? How do I border it? Should I border it? With what? Seriously, I'm out of my league on this one. I'm used to Massachusetts - shovel a hole, plant the plant, water and watch grow. This stuff down here boggles my mind. :o

[Scoutesina]

I have a fairly black thumb, but I thought I would mention one interesting tidbit: hydrangea blooms change color according to the acidity of the soil. I can't remember which is which, but whether the blooms are blue or pink can be manipulated (gradually--I think it takes a few years to shift from blue to lavender to pink or vice versa) by putting additives in the soil to adjust its ph. I love hydrangeas--so pretty!

I don't think you need to scoop out all the clay, since hydrangeas tend to do well in it, though you probably need to till the area a little to break up the soil. You could add some better topsoil or potting soil in with the clay then. We've had some luck using mushroom fertilizer when planting bushes--we just put some in the bottom of the hole. When you go to the nursery to buy the hydrangeas, ask someone who works there. They're always helpful and have good tips. As for bordering it, I don't think that's necessary, unless you want a more formal 'flower bed' type look.

[mb1197]

Thanks for the reply! The only places I've gone have been Home Depot and Lowes. I should check and see if there is a local nursery as they'd probably have more time to really talk to me about the process of planting them etc.

I was also considering rose bushes...:)

[MLA]

I'm totally clueless about gardening but have just moved to NC and want to see what all else comes up in this thread.

I'm hoping to plant hydrangeas, too -- I'd also like to to gardenias and jasmine.

[Scoutesina]

Yes, if you can find a good local nursery, you usually get better advice and better plants. We've bought our share of plants from Home Depot/Lowe's, but I think they usually buy their plants from those same local nurseries. One time we got lucky at Home Depot and found a guy who used to own a landscaping co--he's the one who advised the mushroom fertilizer. So it never hurts to ask the employees there too. Sometimes you get lucky.

MLA, I've seen a lot of gardenias in my neighborhood. I think they like our climate and are pretty easy to get going (and the flowers smell so good!).

[mb1197]

I was at Costco yesterday with my mom and they were selling the most beautiful Hydrangea plants for $18.99 each. I couldn't resist so I bought three of them. Now I wish I had bought more. I'm thinking of moving some of the shrubs in the front of my house. Some of them aren't doing so well anyway and I was thinking it may be easier to do that since there are already shrubs in and growing.

[MLA]

I found a good article on the News & Observer yesterday about gardening in the South:

A checklist for the new Southern gardener
Expert's tips for transplanted gardeners

FRANK HYMAN, Correspondent

Despite steamy summers, hurricanes, ice storms, poison ivy, moles, voles and tree rats (some call them squirrels), people keep moving to North Carolina, bringing with them a desire to garden.
For Northerners, the upside is that we can garden year-round here. The downside is that our gardens rarely get a break from the weeds, the red clay or the sandy soil.
For those new to the area (May is the moving season, after all) the steep learning curve that comes with Southern gardening can be discouraging if you don't have a little help right away. To help speed up the learning process -- and maybe save a little time and grief -- we have important first steps for the transplanted Southern gardener. (Who knows? Maybe wizened green thumbs will learn something new, too.)

GETTING STARTED ...
- Avoid making big changes in the first year. Wait to see what's growing and learn where the sun hits or hides, and where the water sinks or swims in the yard.
- Pick up a gardening book or two. Get books that focus on the kind of plants you are most excited about. Be sure the book's title includes the phrase "in the South." Garden books written for other climates will make promises they can't deliver.
- Get in touch with the county extension office. Ask for free soil test kits and free publications.
- Visit our "Triple Crown" of public gardens: the JC Raulston Arboretum in Raleigh, the N.C. Botanical Garden in Chapel Hill and Duke Gardens in Durham to fill your mind's eye with possibilities. Join one of them and take advantage of tours, lectures and classes.
- Make a garden friend or two. Share passalong plants and garden dramas.
VEGETABLES
- Pick the sunniest spot for growing a vegetable garden -- even if it is in the front yard. It will stay attractive if you keep it small and structured and give it a few minutes of attention every couple of days on your way to or from the car.
- Start your first vegetable garden in September. You can plant and harvest plentiful crops of salad greens, crucifers, legumes and root crops painlessly through the fall, winter and spring. Then if you're game, plant tomatoes, melons and corn in April. Keep in mind: If you plant in gorgeous spring, the days from then on get hotter, drier, buggier and weedier, putting a first-time Southern gardener at risk of being overwhelmed.
- Vacuum freeze surplus vegetables. Eating your own broccoli and snap peas in winter will make you smile.

LAWNS - Mow weekly. Leave the clippings on the lawn to fertilize organically and to loosen the clay soil.
- Get rid of leaves. Rake them off the lawn weekly or shred them in place with a mulching mower (otherwise clumps of leaves will kill the grass).

WEEDS - Use mulch liberally. Weeds love bare dirt. Shredded tree leaves are the cheapest source, but store-bought mulch spread 3 inches deep once a year not only reduces weed populations, but also conserves water. Mulch before hot weather sets in.
- Spray the rest away. To control remaining weeds in beds or pavement, use Roundup once a month year-round. This schedule also means that weeds will die before they can flower and set seed. I recommend Roundup because (a) it is one of the less toxic herbicides and (b) it affects a very wide range of weeds. You can control some weeds some of the time with (5 percent) household vinegar.

PRUNING - Prune pines, maples, cherries and birches in summer "J" months. Pruning at other times will cause the sap to run from their cuts in spring and look a mess.
- To make it easy to remember, prune all the other plants in a month that begins with a "J" -- January, June and July. Cut back perennials if they look ragged. They will throw out better-looking new growth. (If you procrastinate, February and August work well for most plants. Even if you prune at the wrong time, the worst that can happen is that you lose the flowers that year if you prune just before they bloom or set buds.
- For conifers -- trees with needles, such as pines, cedars and hemlocks -- you can remove whole branches back to the trunk. But don't look for the branches to come back. Leave needles on the branch if you want them to come back.

TOOLS - Buy contractor tools. They're worth the money. "Homeowner" quality tools are contractor tools that have some of the metal parts replaced with plastic parts. Homeowners buy them at considerable savings, then cuss the cheap tools when they break.
- Load wheelbarrows smartly. The load should be heavy over the wheel and light near the handles. They will feel much lighter and will be easier to steer and less likely to tip over.
- Shred leaves with a mulching mower instead of bagging them. It's better for your beds, back and bank account.
- Use timers, soaker hoses and metal sprinklers for watering. Metal sprinklers cost more but last longer. Soaker hoses water plants but not the weeds (and they install easily if you unroll them and pin them in place with landscape staples). Timers on the spigot are a cheap way to set it and forget it.
FLOWERS, TREES, SHRUBS
- Supplement your soil. Make sandy and clay soil resemble top soil by tilling in shredded leaves or composted pine bark and mulching annually. These organic amendments make a food source for earthworms that will improve soil conditions. For sandy soil, found mostly east of the Triangle, the amendments help the soil retain water. (Don't till peat moss into the soil -- it makes red clay worse. Save peat moss for filling plant pots.)
- Fertilize flowers, trees and shrub beds. They'll need it around Valentine's Day.

DESIGN - Create contrast between the foliage texture of neighboring plants. Flowers last for only weeks or months, but leaves can be year-round. .
- Plant one or more fragrant shrubs along the path from your door to your car. There's nothing like coming home from a bad day at work to be greeted by the refreshing fragrance of a tea olive or gardenia.

http://www.newsobserver.com/371/story/441596.html

[mb1197]

Thanks for posting that. It was very helpful. I'm printing it out to keep for future reference!:)

[cynder]

BTW - Some people at work mentioned that there is this thing called the Master Gardner where each county in NC has one. They will come to your house and tell what and how to plant things. I tried looking it up on the web and as with most state web sites, I didn't get very far. Let me reask at work and see if I can get more info.

[mb1197]

If you find out any additional info. let me know. I'd be interested to hear more.:)

[TriSigmaNC]

Definitely break up the clay and mix with some pourous soil. My hydrangeas are under a tree (partial sun) and in a good soil mix with some pine straw mulch around it. If you only pack it in clay soil the roots won't grab on as much and won't grow as good. However, clay soil is very healthy. Just make sure to mix the soil and put fertilizer in it. I'd suggest tea or manure (natural), but synthetic is fine, your choice. My favorite show ever on HGTV is Paul's Gardening by the Yard. In NC it's on at 11:30 on Saturday's.

[mb1197]

We planted our hydrangea bushes in the front of our house. We moved some small bushes that were planted during the building of the house. I read that the blooms need to be cut off the first year or development so that the bushes will grow better. I did this and now I'm hoping they will grow back. I hope I did it correctly.