Summer Plant Recovery

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Marta Scherer Garland, President, Reg. Landscape Architect

770-822-9272

www.GreenlandLandscapeMasonry.com

Spectacular Limelight Hydrangeas

The blooms on my limelight hydrangea are enormous this summer. It is planted on the north side of the house and is supposed to need full sun to bloom. However, the blue hydrangeas, which bloom on last year's wood, have few if any blooms this year because the buds were frozen in December.

Long Live the Snapdragon

This is a snapdragon blooming in August. Previously, I thought snaps were a cool season annual, and always pulled them out in May. However, I cut this flower halfway down in June and fertilized it. There are new flower buds forming and looks like it will live through the fall.

The December freeze aftermath: Horticultural Observations

Thankfully, the freeze did not kill as many plants as expected. In fact, I lost very few plants on our recent projects, and was able to replace them under our guarantee. The problem was with the partially damaged plants. Most recovered, but much later than expected. Many did not start growing back until June, causing great anxiety. I dug up some of the plants and created a plant hospital for them to recover. After watering, pruning off dead wood, and fertilizing, most recovered.

The most surprising plant was the osmanthus fragrans, or tea olive. The majority of them completely defoliated, but grew back starting in late May. Same with many gardenias and azaleas.

It was completely nerve wracking to have to wait so long before doing anything. Fortunately, the Ga. Extension Service at UGA sent memos to landscapers not to dig up or prune bare plants until warm temperatures occurred.

Project Of the Month: renovating a mature landscape

I have many clients who live in their homes for decades. I love to return over the years and make enhancements to the landscapes, adding new plants, water features, creative pruning, and more.

We have recently done some updates for this Sandy Springs landscape.

A circular brick fishpond has been changed into a flower bed with a 3 tiered classical fountain.

Brick edging was added to the lawn.

We added colorful plantings along the border: chocolate chip ajuga, incrediball hydrangeas, gardenias, and shasta daisys in the foreground.

Natural pruning was done to thin out the plants along the stone path in the lower picture. We always prune by hand to maximize the natural beauty of the plants; never hacking the plants with power equipment.