Hello all

[Jersey Devil]

Gonna have a ton of questions, so get ready...lol

 

[Mike]

Welcome aboard @Jersey Devil! Ask away! There are several knowledgeable folks here who should be able to help you with most things.

 

[Tetters]

Hi @Jersey Devil Welcome to the forum, it's good to have you on board. Do you think you could fill in a bit more of your profile, so we can see where you are exactly please.

 

[Meadowlark]

Gonna have a ton of questions, so get ready...lol

We were borne ready!! Welcome and fire at will...

 

[Sheal]

Welcome Jersey Devil.

 

[Logan]

Welcome to the forums Jersey Devil

 

[Meadowlark]

We were borne ready!! Welcome and fire at will...

I noticed you were having some trouble with blue hydrangeas loosing their blue color suddenly. One cause of that can be too much water in too short a time. My white oak leaf hydrangea has lost all color this year due to too much rainfall.

 

[Tetters]

I noticed you were having some trouble with blue hydrangeas loosing their blue color suddenly. One cause of that can be too much water in too short a time. My white oak leaf hydrangea has lost all color this year due to too much rainfall.

Funny, I noticed too - and have been waiting for the question here. I can tell our new friend that any hydrangea blue or pink or white will grow in any soil. All hydrangeas prefer plenty of water and shady conditions, as long as the water can drain away (excessive rain as Meadowlark has had will wash a lot of nutrients out too.)
Blue hydrangeas will never stay blue unless the soil they are growing in is acid. In limy soil the colour will change to pink. Adding anything to the soil will ultimately not change the colour. Planted in clay soil these plants are unhappy unless plenty of drainage is added. Nutrients will simply dry up unless the soil can breathe - then the flower colour will pale, and the plant will eventually die.
Clay soil will flood badly with excessive rainfall, and crack up like lumps of concrete when it is hot and dry.

I only recently found some oak leaf hydrangea, and have found them to be much tougher!

So @Jersey Devil - where are the tons of questions then?

 

[Tetters]

We were borne ready!! Welcome and fire at will...

Who's Will?

 

[Meadowlark]

at will : as one wishes
: as or when it pleases or suits oneself

Texas English. The best kind.

 

[Meadowlark]

...I only recently found some oak leaf hydrangea, and have found them to be much tougher!

They are also low maintenance if located in acidic soil. Have had one in same location for probably twenty years with little or no attention.

 

[Tetters]

Yep! It's English English as well - just my little joke

They are also low maintenance if located in acidic soil. Have had one in same location for probably twenty years with little or no attention.

Yes, that's the good thing about these plants, they are equally at home in acid or alkaline = win win!

 

[Jersey Devil]

More info as requested : "It all started when I was born... I was the child of .. " LOL Ok seriously I am 73 yrs old man, retired, and living in NJ, USA. Zone 6A I have been gardening since my retirement and consider myself to be (and to always be) a novice. I was quite proficient in my field when I was working but thank goodness I was not a professional gardener otherwise I would have starved to death. I mostly started with annuals but am now trying to concentrate on perennials, hence the hydrangea. Thanks for all the input and interest TYVM

 

[YumYum]

Hello there. Welcome.

 

[Anniekay]

Jersey !! I gardened there in the 70's. You are so lucky because Jersey soil is so fertile, I'm sure you won't have much trouble gardening there as its a really fantastic place to start. Glad to meet you !!

 

[Jersey Devil]

Jersey !! I gardened there in the 70's. You are so lucky because Jersey soil is so fertile, I'm sure you won't have much trouble gardening there as its a really fantastic place to start. Glad to meet you !!

Yup... awesome tomato soil