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Evergreen Hydrangea, Hydrangea febrifuga
If you joined us for Plantasia, you may have spied the beautiful blue blooms of the Hydrangea febrifuga, previously known as Dichroa febrifuga, and commonly referred to as the Evergreen Hydrangea. A beautiful accent shrub, it comes as no surprise that these coveted beauties quickly sold out.
- This evergreen native to Southeastern Asia performs best in partial shade with slightly acidic soil and average to slightly moist conditions. It doesn't tolerate standing water.
- Height: 3 - 7 feet. Width: 3 - 5 feet
- It has clusters of blue to purple flowers, similar to mop head hydrangeas. Also, similar to hydrangeas, its flowers are dark blue when grown in acidic soil and pale blue to lilac when in alkaline soils.
- It blooms on new wood and has glossy, deep green leaves that are 4 to 8 inches long.
- It bears deep blue berries in late summer that are an excellent food source for birds.
- Best of all it's deer and disease resistant and hardy in Zones 8–10.
This beauty was lovingly propagated by longtime HORT member Neltie Linker and shared with our grower. One gardener’s gift, flourishing in gardens near and far. Just one more reason we love plants and the people who share them!
EDITOR'S NOTE: BTW, the HORT will have a few available during the May online plant sale.
| | May's Garden Tasks To Tackle | | |
Deadheading
- This simple task keeps your garden looking tidy, redirects the plant's energy to growing more flowers, and helps prevent potential diseases!
Mulching
- A good 3-inch layer of mulch can help suppress weed growth, shade and cool roots, conserve moisture, and feed the soil as it breaks down.
Edging
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A crisp edge between your lawn and garden beds helps define your garden and gives a "cue to care." There are many ways to add or create neat borders.
- A crisp dirt edge maintained using a weed eater turned on its side is the least expensive option.
- Metal edging installed properly can last several years.
- Brick or stone is the most attractive, the most expensive, and also the most permanent.
Weeding
- For most weeds, it is best to remove them completely, including their root system.
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The most common tools for weeding are a cobra head or Hori knife. Both work well, but try to keep soil disturbance to a minimum.
- It is easier to weed after a good rain or thorough watering.
- Dispose of all weeds using paper refuse bags unless your compost pile gets hot enough to kill the seeds.
- Try not to let weeds flower and seed.
- Use a herbicide only as a last resort.
- Follow directions carefully, adding the proper amount of herbicide. More is not better.
- Mix only the amount needed, as it will not keep.
- Make sure you are only spraying the unwanted plant by taping a piece of heavy-duty paper or a small cup on the end of the sprayer. This will help keep the spray from volatilization (or vaporizing) and hitting nearby plants.
- Spray only when the wind is less than 5 mph and the temperature is less than 85 degrees.
Weeds to Watch For:
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Dollar weed, Hydrocotlye umbellate, is native and abundant almost year-round in the Lowcountry. To eliminate it, the roots must be removed. While we don’t advocate the use of herbicides, a mixture of 10% glyphosate can be brushed onto the leaves as a last resort.
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Chamberbitter, Phyllanthus urinaria, will be popping up soon, and care should be taken to gently pull it, while trying not to dislodge the 100s of seeds on the underside of the leaf. Immediately discard it into a paper bag.
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Spinyfruit buttercup, Ranunculus muricatus, will be going dormant soon so best to pull it up now.
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Vetch, Vicia sativa, can be easily pulled. It is a legume, therefore a nitrogen fixer.
A Weed or the Generosity of Economy?
The following native plants are considered weeds in the Lowcountry, but perhaps we should embrace them and consider trying to cultivate them in a small area or two.
More info on Weeds from Clemson
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Common Blue Violet, Viola sororia
This versatile violet is a native, perennial ground cover that grows both in bright sun and deep shade.
- It forms a mounding clump that slowly increases in size providing a perfect green mulch.
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Delicate deep-violet to lavender-blue, three-petaled flowers appear in spring and early summer, support the Fritillary butterfly larva and supply nectar for small, ground nesting bees.
- This self-seeding plant spreads naturally, popping up along paths and in the lawn and is easy to control by hand pulling in beds and mowing in lawns.
- Don't forget it's deer resistant.
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Oakleaf Hydrangea, Hydrangea quercifolia
Native to the Southeastern US, this deciduous, understory shrub can reach 6’-8’ tall and wide.
- It prefers moist, rich soil and does best in partial shade, though it seems to tolerate full-sun once established.
- The large, oak-like shaped leaves emerge in mid-spring, followed by a show of white to light pink conical flowers in early May.
- Any pruning should be done shortly after blooming as blooms form on old wood.
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Its naturally peeling bark and weeping structure offer year-round interest.
- Flower clusters deepen in color, eventually turning brown in late fall, and can provide winter interest.
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Best of all, unlike non-native mop-heads, the oakleaf's flowers support pollinators.
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Also in the fall, its leaves turn a lovely deep red to burgundy color, making it a nice companion plant to Camellia sasanqua ‘Shishi Gashira’.
Varieties that work well in the Lowcountry:
- 'Alice’ – can top out in height at 12’. Blooms start white and turn to a rich, dark pink as the season progresses.
- 'Ruby Slippers’- smaller than Alice but still reaches 6’ tall if growing conditions are good.
- ‘Amethyst’ - a compact cultivar introduced by Dr. Michael Dirr, staying within the 4-6’ height. Flowers turn from white to deep pink to burgundy as well.
EDITOR'S NOTE: Look for a full review of all things hydrangea in the June issue of The Vine Online.
| | Taking Inspiration from Our Members | | |
Garden Totems
Want to add a whimsical element to your garden? Consider garden totems.
Longtime HORT member and garden designer Derek Wade adds character to his Sullivan’s Island garden with striking totems like the ones pictured above, perfectly accenting a Southwestern US native Agave americana. He offers the following advice.
What to Use: Totems can be made from old wooden posts, gnarly tree branches, or even an old root structure. Try anything that has an interesting feature, and the older the better. Whatever strikes your fancy.
How to Place: A totem can be used as a standalone focal point, or several can be gathered together to create a garden sculpture or reinforce a garden border. When used creatively with evergreen shrubs, totems provide structure in the garden that connects the seasons, particularly in an herbaceous perennial garden.
Where to Find: Some of the best totems can be found as salvaged driftwood on the beaches or the edges of our Lowcountry marshes. Other wonderful sources include construction sites, particularly for remodels, where dumpster diving can reveal unexpected treasures. Contractors will frequently agree to let you haul away their ‘trash’ when asked.
For Derek, wooden totems are a bit reminiscent of the standing stones found in the gardens of Wales and Ireland and serve to remind him of past garden trips with family and friends.
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Peggy Martin Roses
We love the story of this resilient rose that flourishes in the Lowcountry and how HORT members, Raymond Lissenden and Dennis Mouyios, have it growing on the fence in their Wadmalaw garden.
This salt-tolerant rose can also be seen climbing the palmetto trees in Jane Riley Gambrell's Isle of Palms garden.
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We can't get enough of this native honeysuckle and love how Ella Cowen and Danielle Spies have trained it to adorn the Sea Island Savory Herbs entrance!
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The Vine Online offers members Lowcountry-specific, horticultural advice, following in the tradition of the HORT's original printed publication The Vine.
This monthly gardening e-guide is sent exclusively to HORT members. Thanks for being a member.
Our Board Chair, Madeleine McGee is eager to hear your ideas and learn what's helpful and what's missing.
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