Wildlife Wonder...Q & A on Hydrangeas & Sweet Peas

Last Friday, before the snowstorm blew in, I visited wildlife biologist Russell Link's Whidbey Island garden. I'm writing an "indispensables" column for Pacific Northwest magazine about his favorite plants, and I'd lucked out to walk around his multi-acre garden on a bright sunny morning. With his little terrier Cosmos fending off Bridget's (my wheaten terrier puppy) antics, we strolled past his freshly planted sweep of hedgerow, checked out masses of sword ferns, a golden garden, pond, rushing creek, and orchard. Native, orrnamental and edible plants co-mingle on his wildlife-friendly, bird-rich property. Snag trees, beloved by woodpeckers, hold pride of place. Look for drawings and descriptions of Link's ten indispensable plants, and why he wouldn't garden without them, coming up in May in Pacific Northwest mag...in the meantime you can get a dose of Link's compassionate and knowledgeable pragmitism on how to both attract animals to your garden and how to deal with troublesome creatures, in his two books from University Press: "Landscaping for Wildlife in the Pacific Northwest" and "LIving with Wildlife in the Pacific Northwest".

Below is a snag in Link's garden, well-populated by insects and woodpeckers.

QUESTION: When can I plant sweetpeas in the ground? I have a trellis for them to climb on.
Thanks,
Kathy

 

ANSWER: Here's the dilemma with sweet pea timing -  if the soil is too cold and wet you risk the seeds or plants rotting or damping off. But if you wait too long to plant, sweet peas won't have enough of the cool weather they need to get off to a vigorous start before warm weather sets in  - we can only hope!

The traditional time to plant edible and sweet peas is Washington's birthday - the 22nd of February - but it's so cold this year (It's supposed to get down to 22 degrees tonight in Seattle!!) it wouldn't hurt to wait a few more weeks. The last few springs have been so chilly I haven't put my sweet peas into the ground - seeds or starts - until mid-to-late March, and they've done just fine.

QUESTION: My sister always told me not to cut hydrangea's back after they finish booming, but to wait until the next spring so they will flower that year.  When can I do this and how far down are they cut back, as they look horrible now?  Thank you!

Sincerely,
Irene

ANSWER: How much you cut hydrangeas back depends on the kind, but let's assume you're talking about the common, old-fashioned mop-heads or Hydrangea macrophylla. (I say common not because they arne't fabulous and desirable, but because they're the kind you see most often). Anyway, your sister is right that leaving the old flower heads on the plants over the winter helps protect the new buds from cold damage.

The time to prune is soon - usually I'd say mid-March is ideal. But try to put up with their scraggly looks a little longer until we get through this spell of frigid weather. When it warms up a bit, cut the old flower heads off, being careful not to injure the fresh buds below them. On older plants, it's a good idea to cut a quarter or third of the old canes right down to the ground to open the plant up and keep it from getting too twiggy. To learn more about hydrangea pruning, and the best way to deal with types besides mop-heads, turn to the book by local pruning diva "Cass Turnbull's Guide to Pruning: What, When, and Where and How to Prune for a More Beautiful Garden" from Sasquatch Books.
 

Comments

[Susie Marglin]

Hola Val,
I am sitting here in my garden in Baja on the Sea of Cotez. I finally can grow all the succulents you refer to and of course more. I cross the border at Tecate with my car full of orders from YuccaDo and Plants Delight Nursery. I draw no attention from the drug cartels with plants they probably think I am loco to bring back to their country from where they probably originated. I have plantd the Rennee's garden greens and arugula. Putting dressing on the greens within 30 days of planting. Can't pick the argula fast enough before it gets the serrated edges. I hear I am suppose to pick and eat the arugula while margins are still round. Oh well still edible to me. I head back to Seattle in a few days with a visit in San Francisco to see the Flower and Garden Show there. Thanks for the NWFG show pictures, I have not been there in years, always in Mexico that time of year. I have found the San Franciso show much better, a bit over the top and a plant palette I enjoy more. The show, held at the Cow Palace is a trip down Memory Lane. I use to go see Jefferson Airplane and the Stones when I was a teenager. Yes that was the 60's when I lived there! This year the show for the first time has moved to the San Mateo Exhibition Hall. I don't know if this is Duane'a last harrah here as some gal is orchastrating the show. I look forward to following you vicariously around your northwest travels. A spell check might be a nice tool for those of us who spell poorly or are too lazy to grab a dictionary. Sort of like a runny cold nose in the winter garden. Do you always go to the house for kleenex? Is there a way to chat with you so I don't have to subject your "viewers" to more than they want to know? Next posting I'll wax elequent about this blog. Kudos, Val
Cheers,
Susie Marglin

[Valerie Easton]

Hi Susie,
It's so good to hear from you - thanks for commenting. But go easy on those of us who wintered here and lost so many plants - we can only take so much talk about Baja & the Sea of Cortez and especially all the succulents that are thriving in your Mexican garden....

Send us a photo, to really rub it in....
Val