Hi all, This is my first post here I hope this is the proper forum for this question. The back story... We needed some kind of privacy tree to plant along the already 6' fence on the side of our yard. Our neighbours built a deck that looks into our yard and the 6' fence isn't enough. While at a nursery this past weekend I spotted some kind of Hydrangea tree. I believe the guy said PL or PG Hydrangea. They are already 6-7' and I was told they would grow 1-2' per year and get really dense/ full in the spring till fall. We planted them over the weekend (5 in total), it is the end of the season here Southern Ontario (how do you find out what zone I am in?) so all I could find was regular outdoor soil, and one bag of tripple mix. Our backyard unfortunately is only about 1/2" of top soil (if that) and under that seems to be clay. My question is 1. Is the regular garden soil good enough for these trees (they came potted). 2. Watering? I heard that the Hydrangeas need to be watered well when first planting. I also heard that the clay can act as a pot and hold the water there which could kill the roots. How much should I water the tree in the soil conditions it is in. We also had our first frost last night, I hope the trees are ok. Thanks. :)
I found out I am in zone 6a from this website. http://nlwis-snite1.agr.gc.ca/plant00/index.phtml?mode=browse&layer=zones&layer=cities I am still worried if I planted them properly. :(
Hi....If your Hydrangea really is PG it will take more sun than the macrophyllas. All Hydrangeas like moist and well drained. They bloom on new wood so can be pruned in spring. I am assuming you have one of the paniculatas. http://www.hydrangeashydrangeas.com/paniculata.html
Thanks for the reply :) I am very new to this so I am having trouble trying to figure out exactly which Hydrangea I have. I called the nursery that I got them form and was told it is a PG Hydrangea standard. I meant to take some pics of the flowers last night but was very busy. I will try and get some tonight and post them. I've been to the site you linked me to and the flowers look like this. http://www.hydrangeashydrangeas.com/images/pg.jpg They also look like this http://www.hydrangeashydrangeas.com/images/Limelight2.jpg Which is the "limelight". Maybe after I post some pics someone here will be able to identify them better. As for the watering, since it is in clay what do you suggest? The drainage won't be that great but I want to make sure they still get enough water. I'll water them tonight as the soil on top is rather dry. Also I was told that if I don't prune them the first year they will really spread out and grow high which is exactly what we want. Thanks agian, Vince
There are alot of different PG types and I don't know how you can tell them apart...at least I can't. If you want them to be tall I would not prune at all. As far as watering I would just make sure you do not over water in that clay soil.
Thanks again for the reply. I know... looking at the pictures so many of the PG types look the same. I want them to be really tall, so I won't prune at all, thanks :) As for over watering,how do you know if you are over watering? This is my biggest fear. And how do you know when to stop watering for the winter? When it snows?
You really have to judge with the amount of rain you are getting and how dry the soil feels (ie: reach down below the area several inches or so). It could be dry on the surface and oist underneath. You just do not want it to be soggy. When the leaves fall you could stop watering.
Most of the leaves and flowers were already off when I got the trees last sunday. I'll get the pics posted tomorrow. Should I not water it till spring then?
It rained the day we put them in (sunday), I also gave them a little water after they were planted. The soil felt dry to me last night so I was going to water them today after work.... Sorry for being such a noob, but this is all new to me and it is money invested, I don't want to screw this one up.
I finally took a few pics of the trees and the flowers (well what is left of them, it's getting pretty cold here now. As you can see the house next door looks right on to our backyard and in our house as they have a raised deck. They put up that horrable looking fence. The grass will be next years project. The flowers Another shot of the view they have into our yard. We were going to go with the cedars, but they would take a long time to fill out so we planted them in the front. Any comments are appreciated, including any to help identify the trees. I watered a little last night, just soaked till the water stayed (only took a few seconds). And of course after I watered it rained last night...
I hope so, it was either we get the trees or move, it is getting that bad. Any comments on the planting, watering, or what kind of Hydrangea they are?
Thanks again. So the the actual PeeGee. Thanks, I'll try to post some pics in the summer, lets hopethey do well.
Hi, they're definitely PEE GEE's or PG's. They are very hardy, zone 4. They could be one of several cultivars. Don't worry too much about the clay, but keep them well mulched all year, a couple of inches deep. That will get them through those droughts you've been having in your area, it was pretty dry this year. Where are you in south Ontario?? From TO to Niagara is zone 6-7. Prune those dead flowers off and do most pruning in after blooming, they don't need much. They have been pruned -standard- tree form, not shrub form. What Nursery did you get them from, they should know what type they are? The cedars look fine. they look more like the ones we grow here in Ottawa, that are pruned into a wall. They need mulch and lots of water. They grow fast. I hope they are not Lawsonii, they have been selling those lately, but they are not hardy. good luck Rich
Using some of the existing soil is one more way of reducing the water-bowl potential, since it's more dense than a bag of potting soil. Cultivating the sorrounding soil a few inches deep can help too. And a couple of inches of mulch helps more, because it can slow down the movement or rain in winter. The water will run-through eventually, but it helps.
Thanks for the replies. I am in Niagara Falls. We have a lot of snow right now so I can;t do anything till the summer. I didn't use any mulch, should I use some in the spring. Thanks again and have a good hollidays everyone :0)
Hi DjEclipse, I'm just curious how your PeeGee Hydrangea's are doing? Did they pick up again and start growing? Roanna
Thanks for the reply. Here is the update. We have had some wierd weather, in April it got warm and I didn't realize I was suppose to be watering them, i thought the rain would be enough. I started to watr them and they started to get some leaf growth. Then it got cold again, even had frost. Over the last 2 weeks it's started to get warmer and they are getting more growth. they still aren't full and they have a lot of branches that don't have any growth on them. I hope I dind't harm the m form not watering enough. I can take some pics and post them here if that would help. No flowers yet, when are they supposed to start to get flowers? We are also planting a garden in the front of the house, dirt is coming today. I am thinking of setting up a slow drip/ mist type watering system, mabye that will help everything grow better.
I'm new to planting hydrangeas too, I planted 2 pee gee's in my yard about a month ago. I mulched them and have been trying to stay regular with the watering. One has many little leafs coming out of it while the other looks like it is struggling and the leaves look a little dry-ish. I'm in Markham/Unionville and for some reason my area has been VERY windy this spring. I am wondering if that has been affecting them as well. I guess I'll just have to keep monitoring their progress. The weather has been so crazy lately, I hope they are able to recover. I think they are supposed to bloom by late summer. I'll try and post some pictures too of my pee gee's and we can compare :)
Sounds good, I'll try to get some pics either today or tomorrow. We can compare as I am in Niagara falls so we are close, have the same weather.. We have a malboury (sp?) tree and becasue of the weather the leaves turned brown as we had a frost after they started to come out. It is starting to recover though, but this weather has been horrible.