How Do I Know What Type of Hydrangea I Have

A few columns ago I mentioned trimming or pruning hydrangea. Several readers wanted to know how to tell what kind of hydrangea they had and whether they should prune it now.

There are few garden rules that are ever completely straightforward, but if your hydrangea bloom isn't white or pale green, it isn't Hydrangea paniculata or H. arborescens, the two most common types of hydrangeas that bloom on new wood and can be pruned in the late winter or early spring.

So that means we've eliminated all the pink, red, blue, and other non-white hydrangeas, most likely to be H. macrophylla.

Next, is your white hydrangea a lacecap or mophead? Lacecaps have small flowers or bud in the center and larger showy blooms on the outer edge of the flower cluster.

Mopheads are clusters of large showy blooms. Both varieties have flowers that bloom in color, meaning they don't open white and turn color as they age. Lacecaps and mopheads are both H. macrophylla and bloom on old wood so are not pruned until about three weeks after they bloom.

If your white-blooming hydrangea has large leaves that look more like an oak leaf than a hydrangea leaf and they turn a brilliant color red in the fall, it's most likely an oakleaf hydrangea (H. quercifolia). These hydrangeas hardly ever need pruning unless they are damaged, you are trying to reduce their size or you want to tidy up the spent blooms.

If you have a hydrangea that blooms most of the season, it is probably one of the newer varieties such as the Endless Summer series or the Forever and Ever series. They often bloom on both old and new wood. They are bred to need little pruning, usually H. macrophylla selections and not a candidate for late winter pruning.

So what's left? Snowball, PeeGee, Annabelle, White Dome, Little Lamb, Limelight or any other white hydrangea that blooms in late summer, or any hydrangea tagged as H. paniculata or H. arborescens. These bloom on new wood and can be cut back now.

If you still are not sure, go outside and look at your bush. Early-flowering hydrangea bushes will have large, fat buds, some even starting to open a bit; those of the late bloomers will be tiny and tightly closed.

Can't tell the difference? As a last alternative, wait until your hydrangeas bloom and note the time of season they open and the color and type of bloom. Then, use the information to identify your hydrangea and prune appropriately next year.

Where are the ticks?

Q: I read your Help for Gardeners portion of your column. Under Safety, you say "Check for ticks after every outing." Where are the ticks? Why this time of year? Do ticks ever go away?

—Arlene Collier, Allentown

A: I keep the note about ticks in the safety section all year. While there are 25 types of ticks found in Pennsylvania (See: http://ento.psu.edu/extension/factsheets/ticks), we generally encounter two types in the Lehigh Valley, the American dog tick, or wood tick (Dermacentor variables) and the blacklegged tick or deer tick, (Ixodes scapularis). Two others, much less common, are the lone star tick (Amblyomma americanum) and the ground hog tick, (Ixodes cookei). These four, according to the Penn State fact sheet, make up 90 percent of the ticks found in the state.

The dog tick is brown to reddish-brown in color with gray/silver markings on its dorsal "shield." The adults, 3/16th long before feeding, are generally not found after September or October and re-emerge in the spring.

The blacklegged tick is much smaller, also reddish-brown but only 1/8-inch long, about one-half the size of the American dog tick. This is the most common carrier of Lyme's disease. Adult ticks that have not found hosts overwinter in the leaf litter on the floor of the woods.

I leave the warning in the list because ticks can become active any time that the surface temperature reaches 45. So with our recent mild winters and the warm days that occur throughout any winter, ticks can be a concern all year. They become much more active in February and March as we experience more and more warm days.

In the Garden

It continues to be snowy and cold in our yard. Located on the north face of a hill, our snow lasts much longer than that in yards in the surrounding area, so there is little to do outside. Indoors, I am organizing my seeds to make sure I start them on schedule, deciding what new perennials I want to add and redesigning some beds that didn't turn out quite the way I planned. The light exposure has changed quite a bit in the last two years as the fall and winter storms and winds have taken down many trees that previously shaded parts of the garden.

Sue Kittek is a freelance garden columnist, writer, and lecturer. Send questions to Garden Keeper at grdnkpr@gmail.com or mail: Garden Keeper, The Morning Call, P.O. Box 1260, Allentown, PA 18105.

This Week in the Garden

•Plant:

•Start seeds for: ageratum, lobelia, scabiosa, torenia and verbena. Finish sowing seeds for transplanting for: snapdragons, statice, strawflowers and tobacco. Next week start: dianthus.

•Create and follow a schedule for starting seeds. Check packets for instructions such as start indoors four weeks before last frost date. Then, using a calendar, count back from your area's date (April 10-15 for southern Lehigh Valley, May 10-15 for northern areas) for the appropriate starting time.

•Seasonal:

•Examine shrubs and trees. Note damaged limbs and candidates for winter pruning. Check for proper pruning information for each plant and prune as needed and recommended.

•Get seeds for plants that you intend to start yourself. Check germination rate of stored seeds; replace those that perform badly with fresh seed.

•Mark the edges of beds and locations of plants

•Allow amaryllis greens to continue growing after flowering. paperwhites

•Chores:

•Check for heaved plants on days when there is no snow cover.

•Inventory and restock seed starting supplies. Clean and disinfect pots and trays used for seed starting and transplants. Order seeds and plants.

•Check stored summer bulbs each month.

•Provide humidity and air circulation for indoor plants.

•Reapply deer repellants. Check cages or fences around new or delicate plantings to protect from winter deer browsing.

•Keep gutters, downspouts and walkways clear of fallen leaves. Rake, blow or mulch leaves on lawns to prevent mold problems that thrive in matted leaves.

•Feed birds regularly and provide fresh water.

•Tools, equipment, and supplies:

•Replenish, organize and inventory seed starting supplies.

•Calculate amount of spring mulch needed and order or purchase.

•Replace worn or broken tools. Clean, sharpen and oil hand tools.

•Check winter equipment before each use.

•Purchase plant- and pet-safe deiicing material.

•Safety:

•Check for ticks after every outing.

•Disconnect hoses and drain them.

—Sue Kittek

How Do I Know What Type of Hydrangea I Have

Source: https://www.mcall.com/business/real-estate/mc-xpm-2013-02-22-mc-hydrangea-types-differences-20130222-story.html

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