Growing Tips for Oleander Flowering Shrub

Recently my brother bought me two Oleander flowering shrubs because he thought I would love the beautiful flower.  He did not realize that all parts of the plant contained chemicals called cardiac glycosides which can affect one's heart and cause death if consumed. 

Here are a few of my photographs of my Oleanders

 

 Plant and grow Oleander in your yard but do take steps when planting that will keep you safe.  The entire plant is so toxic that you must handle it with care.  You don’t want the sap to get on your skin so dress in a long sleeve shirt, and pants and wear gloves that cover your wrists.  A plastic shield to cover your face would also keep you safe from Oleander sap.

 Grow the Oleander in full sun.  Choose an area that has well-drained rich soil.   Space accordingly leaving 3 feet apart as this plant needs plenty of room for spreading.

 It’s a good idea to plant the oleander flowering shrub in the early spring or fall season when the days are cooler.  

 Planting Tips

Did a hole that is two times the size in depth and width as the root ball.  Amend the backfill soil with compost The top of the root ball should be level with the soil.   You can also grow Oleander in a container

Water the newly planted Oleander well so that the soil is evenly moist but not waterlogged.  Water throughout the growing season in the morning so that the soil does not dry out.

 For repeat blooms, you should fertilize the Oleander every two weeks during spring and summer.  I like the miracle grow bloom booster that is attached to the hose.

Other Tips

Oleander will survive in the winter as long as the temperature does not go below 20 degrees Fahrenheit.

Known pests are caterpillars, mealybugs, spider mites, and aphids.

Stunning Sorbet Peony (Paeonia lactiflora)

 If you like peony flowering shrubs then you will love the stunning sorbet peony  (Paeonia lactiflora).  This fragrant beauty was discovered by Luc Klinkhamer in 1987 growing in a South Korean garden and in 2006 I bought it at Brecks Nursery to grow in my garden.

Breck's Nursery sent me a Sorbet peony bare root that I planted in the fall. The soil was well-drained and amended with compost to make it fertile. I grew this peony 2 feet away from my rock wall in a sunny location with the part sun in the afternoon.

This sorbet peony did not bloom the first three years but thereafter it bloomed every mid-spring.  From my experience, I have found that peonies need time to grow, and be established in your garden.  

All of the peonies that grow in my garden have needed a few dormant years (no blooms).  If you have the time to wait then you will be awarded. The sorbet will produce many buds and sensational flowers every spring.  This plant is well worth the investment and the wait.

The sorbet is my favorite peony.  I love this showy fragrant flower with pink and white petal layers. Know that the sorbet peony will provide garden interest in the spring, summer, and fall when the leaves will turn a yellow color at the end of summer and is an eye-appealing plant throughout the autumn season.

I have never seen the Sorbet at my local garden centers.  So if you are interested I would suggest that you contact Brecks.com to see if they are selling this peony for fall season planting.

Here are photographs of the sorbet peony that grows in my yard and garden.  

Garden Secrets Nice Gal Pink Peony

If you enjoy watching butterflies and hummingbirds then plant the Nice Gal Peony. This peony is a stunning pink flowering shrub that will add beauty to your garden with its large pink flowers with yellow stamens.

 In 2012 I shopped online and bought a peony collection from Brecks Nursery.  The flowering shrubs were bare roots and the nice gal was one of the plants that I had received.

The peonies were planted in fertile well-drained soil where there were 6 hours of full sun daily.  The bare root grew into a small shrub in the first year with lush green leaves but did not bloom for two years.  The first time that the peony bloomed the flowers were small and I attributed this to the overhand of an Oak tree that had grown in. 

The following fall I decided to transplant even though I knew that disturbing the peony may mean it may not boom the following year.  I took the chance and moved the nice gal to another area where there was no chance that trees would block the sun.   

I transplanted the peony on a cloudy day, and it was planted deep in well-drained fertile soil that was amended with compost.  I watered well and did not allow the soil to dry out.  This new location provided the peony with 6 hours of full sun and part shade.  I applied a layer of mulch to protect the newly rooted shrub and after the first frost, I cut back the stems to the soil and applied a thicker layer of natural hardwood mulch.

 For the next 7 years, this flowering shrub grew in nicely (28 inches in height with a 30-inch spread.  The peony had strong stems and glossy leaves with small buds and flowers.   Normally this particular peony is an outstanding performer, but I suspect that disturbing the roots by transplanting did not agree with the plant.

This year I changed my fertilizer.  I used Jobes stakes for flowering shrubs. The stakes were put into the soil in late March / early spring.  The fertilizer stake would feed the peony slowly throughout the growing season.

In April the spring rain was plentiful, the days were warm and the nights were cool.  The weather and the fertilizer agreed with my pink gal peony because it grew into a sturdy bush with lush green leaves and big flower buds. The entire bush was covered with flower buds and the blooms were magnificent.

 

Here are some photographs of my beautiful Nice Gal Peony shrub. 

Garden Secrets How to Plant Rhododendron

Rhododendron is a shrub that has flowers like the azalea.  It’s a perennial that is long-lived provided you plant it in a location that meets the plants growing needs.

Know that in the past I planted rhododendron on the east side of my home.  In an area that was too close to my home's overhang and suspect that the shade was too much.  The plant grew but never bloomed. 

I transplanted my rhododendron to the north side of my home in an area where there was protection from wind and the soil had an acidic ph.  As for the sun the plant received 3 hours of full morning sun followed by 4 hours of the late afternoon sun. During the heat of the day, the shrub was protected with partial shade and this shade did not seem to hurt the rhododendron. (Rhododendron grow best when they get 6 hours of full sun daily)

In May I did weed the entire garden bed before applying a thick layer of hardwood mulch around the plants.  My summers are extremely hot so hoping the mulch will keep the roots cool and aid in retaining moisture.

Know that I did soak the root ball in water for one hour then let it drip dry for another hour before planting it in a hole that was 3 times the size of the root ball.  I planted it high so that the rainwater would drain off.  I also amended the fill-in soil with peat moss.  After planting I watered well, then did not water for 3-days.  The soil around the rhododendron didn’t dry out because I watered every 3-days for a month then only when water was needed.

The rhododendron bloomed this year and the flowers were brilliant. Here are some photographs. 

About Flowering Shrub – Forsythia

If you like flowering shrubs that bloom in the spring then you should grow the Forsythia. This shrub is not fragrant however it does produce branches that are covered with flower buds in late winter/ very early spring.  This flowering shrub is the first to bloom in my yard. When the buds bloom the bright yellow flowers are so cheerful.

This showy flowering shrub can be grown as a hedge, free-standing accent plant, or foundation plant. This shrub is long-lived and the flowers can be cut for lovely centerpieces for your home. If you plant it as a hedge plant the forsythia is six feet apart.

I grew up with Northern Gold Forsythias in my backyard so when I moved back to the Midwest I planted this shrub in my yard, I joined an organization and received two bare roots that were four inches tall. The shrub took years to grow and to produce multiple branches. Of course, that was 8 years ago and now my forsythias are mature. My shrub is 10 feet in height with a similar spread.

Growing wild forsythia should be pruned after the spring bloom to keep in shape.

Forsythias are not hard to grow, as long as you plant them in full sun (at least six hours daily). Choose a growing site that has well-drained soil. I recommend growing this flowering hedge where you can enjoy seeing the showy flowers.

To prevent this shrub from getting out of control you would prune it in the spring after it has bloomed. If you prune in the summer or the fall then you run the risk of having fewer blooms the following season.

There are many varieties of forsythia some grow best in cold climates others are hardy when grown in zone 3 to 9.  

Learn more about pruning your forsythia here

Hibiscus a Late Season Bloomer

A few years ago my brother gave me a Hibiscus rose of Sharon When he gave me the plant it had a few blooms and many buds. I was delighted to have the pretty pink flowering shrub but was worried because he had given it to me on the first day of July. It was past the time that I plant, the days were long and hot, and certainly, not a time to be planting a hibiscus, or so I thought.

I thought chose a sunny garden area that had six hours of the morning sun, partial shade in the heat of the day, and three hours of the late afternoon sun. I was hoping this would agree with the hibiscus because my yard is primarily shaded. I planted with amended soil and a root stimulator. Then I set up a soaking hose on a timer to water the hibiscus in the morning and mid-afternoon. The soil did not dry out and the sun did not burn the leaves. In the first year, the rose of Sharon bloomed all summer and well into the fall. In the second year, my hibiscus bloomed mid-July through the warm months in the fall.

Hibiscus is a wonderful addition to any garden because the large exotic flowers will continue to bloom when other flowers have ceased. the hibiscus will be put on a flower show for you to enjoy.

A mature hibiscus will grow upright to six feet with a similar spread. You can grow the hibiscus as a feature plant or plant a few to create a flowering privacy hedge. Shop for the hibiscus rose of Sharon in a variety of flower colors, you can choose from white, pink, lavender, and a gorgeous red. There are also hybrid colors which are a mixture of two colors.

Known pets: armadillos will dig up your newly planted hibiscus and groundhogs will eat the entire plant. Deer will eat the flowers. Other pests include whiteflies, aphids, spider mites, mealybugs, inchworms, and grasshoppers

Favorite Flowering Shrub - Quince

When it comes to choosing shrubs for my yard, I will shop for flowing or fruit-bearing. One of my favorite flowering shrubs is the Chaenomeles japonica, Quince. This early spring bloomer has such pretty fragrant flowers, thorny stems, and small edible fruits in the fall My neighbor makes jam from the fruit from the Quince but I leave the fruit on the shrub for the wildlife.

Pretty Pink Quince

I grow this shrub on the south side of my yard where there is full sun. The soil is well-drained and the combination of sun and soil agrees with the quince.

Small yellow apple-shaped fruit appears in fall

If you are in need of some privacy then grow this shrub in masses and it will provide you with a beautiful living fence that is four feet in height and four feet wide when fully grown. Plus the thorns on the branches are an effective way to keep intruders out.  Know that not all Quinces have thorns. There are some that are thornless and do not bear fruit.

Stunning red Quince

Care for the shrub by pruning the quince after it blooms to keep it looking manicured. It is a fabulous shrub because once it is established it does not need to be watered daily. However, I do water it once a week when the weather is extremely hot.

Other information

This flowering shrub comes in a variety of flower colors; red, pink, orange, and white. I grow pink and my neighbor has red. Whatever the color this shrub is a must-have for growing zones 5, 6, 7, 8, 9. 

Easy to Follow Hibiscus Growing Tips

The hibiscus is renowned for its beautiful flowers that bloom all summer. This flowering shrub will brighten your landscape when all other flowers have ceased in blooming.

Hibiscus is easy to grow from seed or from a nursery-grown plant. Grow this hardy perennial in full sun with the part sun in the afternoon and it will reach the height of four feet with a similar spread.

Beautiful pink Hibiscus flower image by Pixabay.com

Hibiscus Planting Growing Tips:

Planting Seeds

Start your seeds indoors six to eight weeks before the last spring frost. Plant the hibiscus seeds in a seed starter kit. The best way to plant the  seeds  is to use the eraser end of a pencil to form a one-inch deep hole in the center of your moss-filled containers. Set four seeds in the center of the container.

Cover the seeds with soil and water so that the soil is moist but not wet. Set the seed kit by a sunny window.  Watch the seed kit so that the soil does not dry out.  It is best to keep the soil evenly moist and in approximately eight weeks, your dinner plate hibiscus will be eight inches tall and ready for transplanting outdoors.

Transplanting Hibiscus:

Plant the nursery-grown hibiscus in an area that has the full sun with the part sun in the afternoon especially if your summers are very hot.  The part sun will prevent the leaves from getting burned.

A good location would be close to a picture window so you can enjoy this beautiful flowering shrub throughout the blooming season; July - September.

Dig a hole that is the same depth and width as the nursery pot.  Mix compost into the soil along with slow-release fertilizer.  Remove the hibiscus from the pot and set it in the center of the hole.  Backfill the hole and water well.

Tips:

The flower is pink with red-eye.
Grow hibiscus in zone 3-9
Groundhogs will eat the leaves and flowers.