August Blooms in my Georgia Garden: Peegee Hydrangea

One of the most spectacular shrubs in my Summer garden has got to be Hydrangea paniculata.

Usually referred to as Peegee Hydrangea, Hydrangea paniculata is the latest bloomer in the hydrangea family.

Peegee Hydrangea is also often called the Tree Hydrangea, since this shrub grows as large as a small tree, reaching up to 20 feet tall and about 10 feet wide. Hydrangea paniculata is beautiful when "limbed up" into a tree form, with the lower limbs removed as shown in the photo. 

Blooms of Hydrangea paniculata are large white flower clusters in panicles at the end of the stems. These pointed bloom clusters are at least 8 inches long, but can be up to 18 inches and so heavy that they weigh down the branches, forming a lovely weeping effect. The bloom clusters open greenish white and mature to a creamy white, finally aging to a beautiful shade of rose by Fall.

Although this species will ultimately grow into a small tree about 20 feet tall, dwarf cultivars are available that mature at about 5 feet high.

Hydrangea paniculata can be grown almost anywhere in the United States, since it is hardy in USDA Zones 4 through 9.

Peegee Hydrangea grows well in part to full sun but flowers best with all day sun and regular water. This hydrangea is much more tolerant of sun than other hydrangeas. In the deep South, some afternoon shade is appreciated. 

Hydrangea paniculata is quite drought tolerant once established, but regular watering is ideal for good flowering, especially in the deep South where summer heat is extreme and drought is common. Water weekly if your Peegee Hydrangea is planted in full sun.

Tardiva Hydrangea is a Peegee Hydrangea with glossy green leaves and creamy white panicle blooms that are held upright on the bush. Tardiva blooms a little later than the other cultivars, usually in mid to late August here in our Georgia garden. The creamy white blooms age to a purplish pink. This hydrangea will grow large, at least 15 feet tall.

Chantilly Lace is a dwarf Peegee Hydrangea, maturing at about 5 feet tall. This hydrangea has a very long bloom period lasting from mid-July into Fall. Blooms change gradually from creamy white to pink and finally to purple. Chantilly Lace is more cold hardy, surviving in USDA Zones 3 through 8.

Another dwarf hardy Peegee is Hydrangea paniculata 'Limelight' which has huge bloom clusters shaped like a football. The flower panicles open very green in the summer but change to various shades of pink, red, and burgundy by summer's end. Blooms can persist on this plant even through frosts of Fall. The large rounded panicle blooms make an excellent cut flower and florists love using them in arrangements both fresh and dried. Limelight Hydrangea is a little larger growing dwarf, reaching up to 8 feet tall at maturity, but it can be kept smaller by pruning in winter once the blooms are no longer beautiful.

Hydrangea paniculata is great used as a single specimen in a mixed border, but I have seen them massed in a large landscape making a spectacular show for the late Summer garden. Remember the natural weeping appearance when in bloom and space widely, allowing that weeping form to show off without appearing crowded. The larger growing paniculatas should be planted about 10 feet apart, while dwarf cultivars can be grown closer together. Space Chantilly Lace and Limelight 5 to 7 feet apart for the best show. If you'd like to limb up your Peegee Hydrangea as a tree, just remove the lower branches as they appear. 

With so much variance is size and such ease of care, surely you can find a spot in your garden for the very lovely and hardy Peegee Hydrangea!

June Blooms in my Georgia Garden: Bottlebrush Buckeye

Bottlebrush Buckeye in June

Bottlebrush Buckeye really showed out in our garden this summer. Multitudes of rain fell during the month of June, and our little bushes just loved it.

Aesculus parviflora is usually referred to as Bottlebrush Buckeye because the huge blooms do resemble large white bottlebrushes. Aesculus parviflora is a lovely native plant with bright green palmately compound leaves and fragrant white bottlebrush blooms up to 1 foot long in summer.

This plant has a spreading habit that under ideal conditions will grow wider than it is tall. When I say ideal conditions, I mean moist soil in full sun. We have one such plant, pictured in this post. But Bottlebrush Buckeye is quite tolerant of drought. I know this because we have one that I should have planted in a better spot, as it has been growing in full shade with no supplemental water for years. That one is pitifully leggy and has never bloomed until this year, after all that late Spring rain we had, when it rewarded us with one bloom. I was appreciative, but apologetic. I did not know what I was doing when I planted that one.

The huge white bloom panicles on the Bottlebrush Buckeye attract butterflies and many other pollinators. 

This lovely shrub can grow up to 12 feet tall and spread to about 15 feet wide.

If you are lucky enough to have a pond or a stream, that is this buckeye's native habitat. It will tolerate a constantly wet bog, but grows well in any garden with regular water. If grown in full sun, it will need more water. You'll get the largest most beautiful blooms in full sun with regular water or wet soil.

May Blooms in my Georgia Garden: Oakleaf Hydrangea

Oakleaf Hydrangea
 in Late Spring at Callaway Gardens

I know I've written this many times, but the Oakleaf Hydrangea is my very favorite hydrangea, for several reasons. Hydrangea quercifolia, commonly called the Oakleaf Hydrangea, is beautiful all the time.  

In summer, large blooms appear that attract much attention. The panicles of white blooms appear in May. These creamy white blooms can be quite large, depending on the cultivar. Blooms on 'Alice' can be up to 12 inches long, which makes for a spectacular display.

Late Summer Blooms
at LaGrange College

By late summer the white blooms change to a rosey purplish pink, hanging on into fall. 

In fall, the leaves turn a rich mahogany red, contrasting beautifully with the then dried rosy brown flower stalks used by many in floral arrangements. 

Oakleaf Hydrangea Fall Foliage
 at Shady Gardens Nursery

In winter, the branches exhibit lovely cinnamon colored exfoliating bark, and the large flower buds already forming are attractive. In spring, the new leaves are a reddish purple. So you see, Oakleaf Hydrangea is truly beatiful in every season!

Hydrangea quercifolia is much easier to grow than other hydrangeas. The fact that it is native to the southeastern United States is probably the reason for that. It’s accustomed to our summer droughts, making it more drought-tolerant than other hydrangea. It isn’t picky about soil. And Oakleaf Hydrangea can take more sun than most other hydrangeas.

Oakleaf hydrangea is one of our most beautiful American native shrubs, and should be in every garden.

May Blooms in my Georgia Garden: Mock Orange

Philadelphus coronarius
Sweet Mock Orange or English Dogwood

Blooms are spectacular this year on my Philadelphus coronarius, most often referred to as Sweet Mock Orange or English Dogwood. Our established shrub is completely covered with the fragrant dogwood-like white blooms.

Philadelphus coronarius is a deciduous shrub that grows quickly into a large shrub, so give it plenty of room. 

Because of our very mild winter, Mock Orange bloomed a little earlier than usual this year. Usually blooming in late May, the Mock Orange reached its peak bloom the first week of May here in our Georgia garden.

The white flowers with 4 petals smell like orange blossoms, hence the common name Mock Orange and resemble blooms on the Dogwood Tree. Leaves are tender and dark green. On the Sweet Mock Orange, even the bark is lovely, which is exfoliating and orange-tinged. 

This large growing shrub will eventually be up to 12 feet tall and just as wide with a rounded habit, so it's perfect at the edge of the property. 

Philadelphus coronarius can be grown in full sun to light shade, but ours is in pretty much full shade here in Georgia. It might get a little peak of morning sun, but I don't think so. 

Although rich fertile soil is best, our soil is hard clay, and our large shrub gets no supplemental water. This year we received more than enough rain during the Winter and Spring, which might be why our plant showed out so well this time.

Mock Orange is a popular old-fashioned shrub in the Southeastern states, and although it might look delicate, it can be grown in most of the United States, since it is hardy in USDA Zones 4-7.

If you want a hedge of Mock Orange, for Summer privacy perhaps, space them about 5 feet apart for good screening. The shrubs will quickly grow to fill the space. 

If pruning is needed, do so immediately after blooming by removing old canes at the base and cut back remaining branches to create a rounded shape. If your space allows it, don't prune your Mock Orange at all. 

March Blooms in my Georgia Garden: Fruit Shrubs and Trees

Before we can feast on the fruit from our growing collection of fruiting shrubs and trees, we get to enjoy the flowers. Some of the prettiest flowering trees in the South are fruit trees. 

Blueberry Flowers

Blueberry Bushes have cute little white blooms in clusters that attract pollinators. Blueberry Shrubs are all-around attractive, really. In Spring you have the blooms against newly developing blue-green leaves. In mid-spring the blueberry fruits develop, beginning as green drupes that gradually ripen into dark blue juicy fruits loved by people and wildlife. Attractive foliage remains until Fall when leaves turn all shades of orange, red, and burgundy. Some or all foliage remains into winter, depending on the temperatures of that particular winter or which part of the country you are in. Blueberry Bushes are gaining in popularity as the word gets out about how nutritious the fruit is and how easy the shrub is to grow. Homeowners are even incorporating Blueberry Bushes into their flower beds and foundation plantings. I've seen a few local businesses adding Blueberries to their commercial landscaping. How exciting!

Crabapple Trees have been used in landscaping for years. The flowers are beautiful, covering the tree canopy with loads of flowers in various shades of pink. But many Crabapple Trees produce a fruit that is not only loved by wildlife but edible for humans as well. 

Peach Trees are not known for being easy to grow. Some maintenance is required. But when you bite into that beautiful peach and feel the juice running down your chin, you know it was worth all that work. 

Plum Trees are beloved by children everywhere. We love to eat the plums either green or ripe, if we can get to them before the squirrels do. 

Our Ponderosa Lemon tree is huge. Originally purchased as a Meyer Lemon, this tree produces huge lemons that have a rough, knotty skin that is very thick. The fruit is very sour and the juice is great for a marinade. When I looked up recipes to decide what to do with the abundant fruits, I found that ours was not a Meyer Lemon after all, but a Ponderosa. Oh well, I'll keep looking for the hardy Meyer Lemon I guess.

Nanking Cherry in Bloom

Our newest fruiting plants are the Bush Cherry or Nanking Cherry. Not usually grown around here, the Nanking Cherry Bushes are growing well, and we are getting lots of fruit from them this year. These bushes will grow to be about 10 feet tall and just as wide, and they produce a small red cherry that is tart and delicious. 

We have other new fruit trees that haven't yet bloomed or produced fruit, and I intend to add as many new fruiting plants as I can until I run out of room.

March Blooms in my Georgia Garden: Lady Banks Rose

One of the easiest roses of all to grow is the Lady Banks Rose. Rosa banksiae is a thornless rose producing soft fluffy blooms in early Spring. Lady Banks Rose is almost evergreen here in Georgia, if temperatures don't drop below the 20's. 

Lady Banks Rose is drought tolerant and disease resistant by nature. This lovely rose tolerates poor soil too.

Lady Band Rose is an easy care rose that is thornless and almost evergreen here in Georgia. It is a climbing rose that is beautiful growing on a pillar, arbor, fence, or trellis. 

Although Lady Banks blooms only once a year, in Spring it is absolutely covered with small fluffy double blooms.  Blooms are slightly fragrant and come in either yellow, Rosa banksiae 'Lutea', or white, 'Rosa banksiae 'Alba plena.' 

Rosa banksiae originated in China but was introduced to Europe in the early 1800's.  Lady Banks was very popular in the Southern United States during Antebellum times and was usually found on old plantations of the South. The largest rose in the world is a white blooming Lady Banks Rose that was planted in Tombstone, Arizona, in 1885. 

Plant your Lady Banks Rose in full sun for best bloom. This is a fast-growing strong rose that will quickly become very heavy, so plant it near a very strong support. Those inexpensive little trellises at the discount store will not work.

Lady Banks Rose is evergreen in USDA Zones 8-10, but is hardy in colder zones 6-7 where it will lose its leaves in winter. Banks Rose is said to withstand temperatures down into the teens, but we have single digit temperatures every so many years and our established plants lived through that. 

Once established, Lady Banks Rose is quite drought tolerant, but be sure to water regularly the first few years. Lady Banks is somewhat hard to find in nurseries, so you don't want to have to try to replace it.

Lady Banks, unlike many other roses, can be grown near the beach since it tolerates salt spray.

Lady Banks is not bothered by diseases and pests that infect most roses, so you won't need to spray at all.

If you don't have an arbor or trellis, Lady Banks can be grown as a free-standing shrub rose, but must be drastically pruned yearly to keep it in check. If pruning is needed, do so immediately after flowering. 

March Blooms in my Georgia Garden: Japanese Kerria

Kerria japonica 'Plena' or 'Pleniflora'

One of our most sought after plants for early Spring bloom is the Japanese Kerria, often referred to as the Japanese Thornless Rose. Vibrant golden yellow blooms are visible from a great distance. The long green stems of Kerria japonica 'Plena' are absolutely covered with bright yellow flowers that look like pompoms. We also grow a single blooming Kerria known as 'Shannon.' 

Kerria is an arching, shrub-like perennial that sends up many suckers forming a thicket of green stems that remain green even into the winter. Although leaves fall off after the first frost, the green twiggy mass is attractive.

Give Kerria plenty of room to grow, since it will be 5-7 feet tall and up to 6 feet wide at maturity. Kerria loves water, and it will grower larger and larger with ample water. 

Kerria japonica 'Shannon'

Kerria likes some shade, and will bloom quite well with no sun at all. However, regular water is needed for Kerria to grow well. We have a couple of plants in shade that receive no supplemental water, and they need to be moved. We seldom see a bloom on those. If water is available, Kerria 'Plena' will bloom profusely in early Spring and then sporadically throughout the Spring and Summer. 'Shannon' blooms only once, in Spring.

Kerria Japonica looks like a tropical plant but is quite easy to grow and is hardy in USDA Zones 5-9. That's amazing to me.

Kerria is very popular in Georgia and the Southeastern Unites States, but it is seldom found in nurseries, and we cannot keep it in stock.