GIFT HYDRANGEAS ARE HERE!
GIFT HYDRANGEAS ARE HERE!
Depending on where you garden, you can plant these hydrangeas outdoors but don't be disappointed if they don't make it. The energy they have expended for their unseasonable early spring display often robs them of future growth potential. If you plant them out in the garden later on, be patient. You might get a nice green bush as the plant uses its energy to establish roots first. The flowers will be their second year's agenda. They are not usually winter hardy.
Gift hydrangeas are here! Between Easter just past and Mother's Day just a few weeks away, it was inevitable that these traditional gift plants (also called florist hydrangeas) would show up. You can't avoid them in local garden centers, grocery stores, and box stores. Here in the northeast, blooming florist hydrangeas are a welcome sight as everyone is still struggling with unseasonably cold temperatures and continual lashings from snow, high winds, power outages and the like. So what should you do if you get one of these beauties?
Enjoy these hydrangeas! All dressed up in colorful, shiny pastel colors like prom queens, they have been grown to brighten your home, having been specially fed and nurtured to put on a glorious show with lots of big flowers.
To keep these gift hydrangeas happy, keep them moist but not wet. Make sure the water can drain from their paper wrappings so they don't sit in a puddle. Too much indoor heat will dry them out so be mindful of where you place the plant. They have only known life in a greenhouse where they were fed and watered regularly under ideal light and heat conditions. Expect them to possibly drop a few leaves from the shock of being pulled out of that cozy environment.
Depending on where you garden, you can plant these hydrangeas outdoors but don't be disappointed if they don't make it. The energy they have expended for their unseasonable early spring display often robs them of future growth potential. If you plant them out in the garden later on, be patient. You might get a nice green bush as the plant uses its energy to establish roots first. The flowers will be their second year's agenda. They are not usually winter hardy.
If you're feeling generous, gift the plant along with a new book, Success With Hydrangeas, A Gardener's Guide.
It will answer all your questions about this fabulous shrub More information about the book, testimonials, and how to buy a signed copy are at www.lorraineballato.com.
