Hydrangeas

Reply to: No, not too late to plant. I have 2 Ackerman varieties, purchased as 1 gal. plants 3 years ago. I have 3 Winter's Star in a front bed, east facing, but shaded by a large maple. I installed a mister irrigation system for all the perimeter beds this summer & it's been a lifesaver. The camellias in front are about 5' wide & tall-loose,informal habit & beautiful in bloom. I have 2 in the back, a Winter's Star in a western exposure & a Snow Flurry on the north, both heavily shaded, they have remained small, about 2'. My local nursery just got in a shipment of camellias & I plan on adding several 'Winter's Snowman' to my garden.

Q

Reply to: I have had "Snow Flurry" for over 10 years and it is rock hardy here. I would think it would survive 6a also. The only thing is that in order to get most of the buds to open, the weather has to stay mild in late fall, since it starts blooming in mid October. But this year I had flowers into December. This variety tends to grow low and spreading, and mine is about 6 ft. wide and 3.5 ft. tall. I occasionally clip it back a little to make it bushier. I give it no special protection. It's in shade for most of the afternoon. Here are a couple of pictures. Camellia "Snow Flurry" Camellia "Snow Flurry" Good luck! Bill

Q

Reply to: Just order one from a mail order nursery. There are a number of good ones out there - Eastwoods, Forrest Farm, Fantastic Plants, Bloom River. Google and get one! Better hurry, though. Most companies don't like to ship in the heat of summer, or they make you ship it air. Regards, K4

Q

Reply to: " Googling isn't turning anything up. " Pretty good reason for that :-) It is a rather short list of camellias that will be reliably winter hardy in zone 6 and an even shorter list of those that will stay moderately compact or dwarf. I could only find one - 'Winter's Rose'. It is a sasanqua hybrid that grows very slow to around 3'x3'

Q