One of the most rewarding and easy-to-grow flowering plants in your yard, hydrangeas are incredibly popular for good reason! With a wide variety of shapes, sizes, sun or shade requirements, and colors, hydrangeas are a must-have for summer color in your garden. At Vander Giessen Nursery, we grow and sell a broad selection of hydrangeas, from dwarfs that top out at just 1-2 feet tall all the up to [...]
At last, flowering trees and spring bulbs are in bloom, lawns have reawakened, and new life is bursting forth everywhere—spring is here! Amidst April showers, this month is an exciting time to spend outside in the yard, tending to your lawn and garden and discovering exciting new plants to replace those killed or damaged by winter’s cold and desiccating winds. First, April is the perfect time to apply preemergent weed [...]
Summer is in full swing in the Pacific Northwest, and with long days and warm weather, you’re likely finding yourself spending more time outside than in. As you enjoy evenings on your deck and weekends in the garden, here are a few tips to keep your plants looking their best. First, midsummer is the time to start keeping a close eye out for pests and disease in the garden. Up [...]
Late summer is upon us, and with it, the joys of eating dinner on the deck and relishing the last weeks of warm weather before autumn arrives. Besides back-to-school shopping, late summer is the perfect time to schedule some preventative insect control for your lawn, prune some shrubs, and show your flowers and hanging baskets some extra love. First, now is a crucial time to apply grub killer to [...]
In the world of gardening, November is a month of closure. Raking leaves, pulling out flowers, putting the lawnmower away for winter—there are plenty of signs that the season is ending. This month, as you wind down your garden work for 2016, don’t miss out on these season-ending tasks—and a very important first task for spring you need to take time for now. First, it’s time to rake leaves. [...]
Macrophylla hydrangea -- the most common type It's late summer, and despite all the other fun activities you’re trying to squeeze in before fall, now is the time to prune many varieties of hydrangeas around your yard. If you’ve ever struggled with getting your hydrangeas to bloom right—or even if you want to change the color of your blooms—here are some basic tips that can make your [...]
It's late summer--not the time you're exactly thinking of doing pruning around your yard, is it? Unless you're battling a shrub that's taking over your front porch, chances are you won't think much about pruning until at least this fall (or maybe even next spring). But did you know that late summer is a great time to prune many varieties of hydrangea? It's true! Older varieties of hydrangeas--standard mophead and [...]
Last summer I published a blog post about water-soluble fertilizers versus slow-release options and which type would work best for your plants. I spent a fair amount of page space writing about care for your annuals and hanging baskets--but what about the shrubs and trees in your yard? The truth is, most plants--especially flowering types--will benefit from regular (even if only once a year) feeding to keep them looking their [...]
