Gardening anyone????

[karenbaco]

Can anyone give me tips on when to prune my outdoor plants? Is it spring or fall? I am inquiring about......Lilacs, Hydrangeas, Azaelas, and Sand Cherry's. Also.....my Hydrangeas never bloom what am I doing wrong? How do I care for these plants? I live in New England. Also....any info a about Hibiscus? I have one I bought last summer and have brought it in the house this winter. It's one of those topiary trees. I think it may be dead, the twigs break off and are very dry.
Thanks for any input.

 

[sorcerormickey]

Lilacs and Hydrangeas should be pruned AFTER blooming, or you'll just cut off the buds. Not sure about the azaleas or sand cherry.

 

[The Mystery Machine]

Rule of thumb, always prune after flowering.

Plants "set bud" for next year, (varies by plant) after flowering so there is a "window" of how long you can wait to prune for things that are spring flowering.

Also pruning off dead flowers, called "deadheading" is beneficial to the plant because now the energy of the plant will not be taken up by making a seed pod.

In addition remember to fertilize with an appropriate fertilizer. It takes alot of energy for flowers. Do not feed just a nitrogen fertilizer, buy a fertilizer for the plant.

As far as Hydrangas, what kind are they? Or what is the flower supposed to look like if you do not know the variety?

 

[karenbaco]

My Hydrangeas are Nikko Blue.
Do I just prune where the blooms were or the whole bush?

 

[The Mystery Machine]

What state are you in?
Nikko Blue is a Zone 6 & up plant. My guess is that if you are having no bud set for flowers they are freezing.
You will need to burlap wrap the plant for the winter.

You also have to pay attention to careful fertilization and time it appropriately.
You do not want too much nitrogen before winter sets in. Never past the 4th of July is a good rule to follow for trees and shrubs, esp. evergreens.
Plants have to "harden off" to prepare for winter.

Good explanations for your Nikko Blue....
http://www.mobot.org/gardeninghelp/plantfinder/Plant.asp?code=K550

When it comes to pruning, harsh pruning of evergreens is never good. Severe prunings in the spring with delicate plants forces the plant to grow too much top and takes away from root development that is very critical for survival, esp. evergreens.

This site explains how to prune azaleas. Take note that bud set is pretty quick after flowering so pruning right after or during flowering is important.
New growth on evergreens takes time to "harden up" for winter, so never delay there.
I would not prune more than an inch on an azalea if you are pruning the whole thing.

http://www.azaleas.org/index.pl/faq.html#pru

 

[karenbaco]

HI there.....
I am in Massachusetts and I know for a fact that Nikko blues can grow and survive here cuz they are all over Cape Cod. I don't know of being near the shore is the difference or not, I am inland. My husband has been cutting them down to the ground until this past fall I made him leave it alone. Is that the problem?? I've heard that the blooms come from the dead wood. I can understand why he want to chop them the dead wood looks terrible.
Thanks for replying.