Do You Have an Edible Yard? (I Do!)

a reply to: maybee

Nope, let it recover. Cut off the tops. Those things come back with a vengeance.

If it gets too much sun, though - it might die. Shade lovers, hydrangeas.

originally posted by: BuzzyWigs
a reply to: maybee

Nope, let it recover. Cut off the tops. Those things come back with a vengeance.

If it gets too much sun, though - it might die. Shade lovers, hydrangeas.

I have found Hydrangeas extremely hard to grow in South Florida.

My 13 year old Hydrangea is trying to bloom for the first time since it was planted, 13 years ago. It is still a tiny little puny bush, and its twin can barely seen.

I thought that my Hydrangeas were dead every winter, and every summer, I see that they are still hanging in there.
This is the first year though that one has bloomed, and it looks like the blossoms are going to be purple.

I like Maybee, have thought about digging them up and planting them some place else, but was afraid, since they are still alive.

Maybe I will replant the one that is barely hanging on, and leave the blooming one where it is, and keep crossing my fingers.

originally posted by: BuzzyWigs
a reply to: maybee

Nope, let it recover. Cut off the tops. Those things come back with a vengeance.

If it gets too much sun, though - it might die. Shade lovers, hydrangeas.

Thank you!!! It's on the north side of the house so gets just morning sun. I'm getting ready to head out and get some mulch and freshen up the area.

a reply to: NightSkyeB4Dawn

Good point - Florida grows palm trees, we can't do that here.
We can't do the gorgeous bougainvillea stuff like in Louisiana, either. No oranges or lemons...

Climate and soil have so much to do with the vitality of plants. My hydrangea threatens to move in every year - this year its spread is about 8 feet, and it's spilling over onto the Live-Forevers and vinca....gave my mom a start from it some years ago, and hers is finally doing okay.

I have very loamy black soil, with lots of worms and natural nutrients. She has more clay and "fill-dirt" in her yard. I think one advantage I have is that my yard is not chemically compromised. I've no idea how old the hydrangea is - it was here when I moved in...and has gotten bigger and bigger ever since (1999!). Same with the irises, hostas (the one I discovered about 5 years ago that the hydrangea was overpowering is now a clump about 6 feet wide itself! Another couple of them I pulled out and just tossed into the planter below the front window - didn't bury them or do anything at all! - and the next year they were fine - they have leaves the size of salad plates and send up lovely lavender flowers every summer. Hardy buggers!


Sometimes it's discouraging to not be able to have the European or French Quarter window-box look that I'd love to have, but I've learned to stick to plants that will do well here, rather than struggle with trying to keep things alive that don't want to live here. Fuschias for example - love them. Bought one every year for five or six or ten years.

Eventually I started saying "I bought another fuschia to kill"....and then I quit buying them.