Flower Blooming Tips for Clematis

  

For many years growing clematis was trial and error then a few years ago all of my efforts were awarded because I had glorious blooms. 

I had planted clematis from seeds and then learned that it would be many years before the clematis would bloom.  I did not want to wait years for a flower so I bought a nursery-grown clematis that was two years old and I planted it in my yard where it would get six hours of direct morning sun with part shade to shade in the heat of the day, followed by sun at dusk.

 

The soil had a slight alkaline PH and I set up a soaking hose that would provide a slow drip throughout the day.  Which kept the well-drained soil moist but not wet during our extremely hot summer months.  

My clematis was healthy it was climbing the trellis and the leaves were green and thriving but I had no flowers.  My neighbor told me that the top of the plant needs sun but the roots need to be kept cool and should be shaded.  I applied a thick layer of organic mulch in May and fertilized.

 

Clematis was fed every two weeks during blooming season (May – July) with Miracle-Gro water-soluble bloom booster for flowers. This flower fertilizer is water-based and can be used on all flowers, annuals, and perennials during the growing season.

Best Time to Fertilize Hydrangeas

  

My brother gave me a beautiful hydrangea plant last year and I took the steps to learn as much as I could about how to care for and when to fertilize.

The best time to fertilize a hydrangea is seasonally.  Late winter or early spring when new growth appears. Then again in May or when summer begins again in July to help the hydrangea flowers continue to bloom throughout the summer months.

 

Here is a photo of the hydrangea that I planted in the ground last year.  You can see that there is new growth.  So, I fertilized it with Espoma organic soil acidifier because it would turn my hydrangeas blue. 

 

You can also fertilize your hydrangeas with spent coffee grounds.  So pour yourself a cup of coffee and save the grounds for your hydrangeas.  I lightly sprinkle the coffee grounds on the soil around my hydrangeas plants.

Growing Bleeding Hearts with Wildflowers

 This year I am growing bleeding hearts in my wildflower garden because I think the spring-blooming heart-shaped flower is pretty and that it will attract hummingbirds.

I am very excited to be adding the bleeding heart to my wildflower garden this year. The garden bed gets early morning sun with part-shade in the heat of the day plus the soil is well drained as the garden sits up on a slight hill.

When the bleeding hearts stop blooming in late spring the other flowers will start to bloom.  Lasting beauty throughout the growing season.  I will be growing the bleeding hearts as a border plant in the front of the garden.

My neighbor grows bleeding hearts in a partial shade spot by her pond and also grows in a container next to the border of her patio.  The bleeding Hearts grow well in USDA zones 3-9.  It is best to grow bleeding hearts where they get morning sun and afternoon part-shade.   They also grow best in well-drained soil.  If the soil is too wet then the roots will rot.

border planting / bleeding hearts

My garden bed soil is rich as we amend the soil yearly with Miracle-Gro Expand and Gro mix.  This potting mix can be used in in-ground garden beds or in containers and can expand up to three times its size when water is added.  What I like is this soil is formulated to feed plants for up to six months and can hold up to 50% more water than basic potting soil.  Which means you water your gardens less. 

You can plant bleeding hearts from seed or from a nursery-grown container.  Either way plant after the threat of frost has passed.

Seeds should be planted a half inch deep, then water well and keep the soil moist but not wet until germination  Then I would recommend watering the seedlings so that the soil does not dry out and pull away from the stem.   Normally I mist my seedlings in the morning and the afternoon.

When fully grown the bleeding hearts will be up to 30 inches tall with a similar spread.  They will bloom in late spring then the foliage will turn yellow and the plant will die back.   In early summer you would prune them.

My neighbor never cuts her bleeding heart plant back she lets it die back naturally and allows the spent flowers with the seeds to fall and naturalize so that she has more blooms the following year.

I do cut back my wildflower garden in late summer, and I will apply a layer of mulch.  I will continue to water the garden where bleeding hearts are planted until there is a hard frost.

Growing Fuchsia in a Container

 Last summer my brother gave me a Fuchsia flowering plant in a hanging container and told me that it would attract hummingbirds.  This pretty purple and rose-colored Fuchsia bloomed from early summer to frost and did indeed attract hummingbirds.

 

Hummingbirds and bees seem to enjoy the small, double purple and red flowers The colorful blooms looked stunning against the dark-green leaves. 

Overall, I did not do much with the plant besides hanging the container from the overhang of my side porch in a shady area with partial morning sun and watering when the soil felt dry.   

Fuchsia is a low-maintenance plant that anyone can grow. 

Winter Care

I did prune this plant in the early fall when the flowers stopped blooming and brought it indoors during the winter months.  I am not certain if the plant will return in the spring.  

I applied a light mulch to the soil and hung the plant in my basement/crawl space where the temperature is an average of 45 degrees the basement is cool, dark, and dry and it will prevent the plant from being exposed to frost.

 During the winter months, I water the dormant plant sparingly to make sure the soil is not overly dry.

Leaving Leaves on Yard in winter (Pros and Cons)

 Here in the Midwest, we Clean up the bulk of the leaves in late fall and very early spring as it will reduce the number of pests, ticks fleas, aphids, and snakes. We have 9 mature Oak trees and the majority of leaves need to be removed, it's just too much leaf matter. 

photo of leaves in my yard

The remaining oak, maple, and crabapple leaves on our lawn are shredded with the lawn mower to create a mulch that we leave on the lawn and the gardens.  This natural mulch is a way to improve the PH balance of your soil.  It also increases acidity which is good for many perennial flowers.

Leaf matter that is left in your yard and gardens over winter does have pros and cons. Excessive leaf matter can produce snow mold.  This type of mold is a fungus that will kill the grass when the snow melts. This mold can cause some people to have an allergic reaction; runny nose, and itchy and watery eyes.

Many people leave a thick oak leaf mulch on their flower beds, I don’t and the reason is If the leaves are left on your garden beds your spring flowers may become smothered.  The heavy leaf mulch will block light, moisture, and air circulation which is needed for spring blooming flowers.

If you plan on leaving leaves on your yard and garden then I would recommend a light leaf mulch as it is beneficial to your lawn and gardens.

Tips For Taking Care of Poinsettia

 My brother gave me a beautiful poinsettia in November and today is February 29^th and my poinsettia is as beautiful as the day I received it.   I reside in a cold climate transplanting outdoors was not something I could do and bringing it indoors was not an option either so I put it on my enclosed front porch that had southern sun exposure but was not heated.

Poinsettia received in November

I guess the cooler temperature was agreeable because my poinsettia plant is thriving.  The temperature on the porch averages out to be 55 to 65 degrees at night and during the day when the sun is out the temperature averages out at 65 to 70 degrees.

 

Poinsettia in February 

 I take care of my poinsettia by providing it with a space heater when the temperature drops below freezing.  The heat is not hot but instead, it just prevents our enclosed porch from causing the plant to be stressed from the cold.

I also set the plant in an area where it gets 6 hours of indirect southern exposure sun daily.  The porch provides the poinsettia plant with an area that is not drafty, not too cold, and not too hot. 

Then I water the poinsettia in moderation.  When the soil is dry to the touch I will water with tepid water.  Give the plant a good soaking until the water drains from the bottom.  No water is left in the drainage saucer.  The soil is thoroughly dried out before I water it again.  On average I water it once a week. 

My poinsettia will tell me when it needs water. The leaves will drop and some may fall off the plant.  I have found if I go over a week without watering that this will occur. But once watered the plant will bounce back. 

When summer comes the porch will be too hot for my poinsettia plant so I plan to move it to move the poinsettia to the root cellar where it is cooler and provides the plant with artificial sunlight.