This poor little gal was on the clearance rack for just $1.00. So I swooped her up and now she's on my porch. I haven't checked on how deer react to it. Is this something that should be planted in the ground? I know they get big. Or can I keep it in a big pot? Does she look healthy enough? ( photo / image / picture from poodledoodlemom's Garden )
You only paid $1 for your plant!! Fantastic!! I wonder why it was on the clearance rack as it looks just fine to me. It should be OK to plant it out in the garden, maybe dead head it first, but other than that it should settle in nicely. Nice find. :-D
This far south the Hydrangea is considered a Spring plant because our Spring temperatures are what more northern gardeners have as Summer temperatures. Hydrangea is one of those plants that will not be able to survive if planted in Summer down here. That is a beautiful plant, good find!! Yep, in the ground because they can get quite large. Make sure it's full shade or at least afternoon shade.
Do deer eat these? So will it have a chance to live if I plant it outside now? Or should I wait for cooler temps? I'm really hoping it survives ME! Yeah...I couldn't believe it when I saw the price tag!!! I wish they had more than just that one. They also had rose bushes (in a bag) for $5. I didn't know if that was a good deal or not...?
Yep, they are advertised as being deer resistant but if as deer is really hungry that doesn't mean they won't chow down on them if they need to. I have bought roses in a bag at different places, Tractor Supply, Kroger, Dollar General. Make sure at this time of the year that they are breaking dormancy. No new green on them by this time might mean they aren't going to make it.
Does anyone have any deer resistant remedies? My neighbor said she read that putting Irish spring soap slivers on the garden or Around a plant will keep the deer away. Not sure if that's true or not.
These do tend to get a bit larger in size, so I would recommend putting it in the ground outside or in a large pot. I'm not sure if deer enjoy them, but there are some natural repellents you can use just to be safe. Here's an example of a repellent, but there are many others around the Internet: http://forums.gardenweb.com/forums/load ... 26.html?19
Deterrents are one thing but only an 8' tall fence or growing in a greenhouse will actually keep them away from the plants. You can plant certain other plants around their favorite foods, Deer Resistant plants in our plant database. You could spray the plants with a soap spray, hot pepper spray or a commercial deer resistent spray. I have never hear about the slivered soap bits though. I live so far inside the city area that the only deer you see here are on yellow and green lawnmowers.
Love it when someone finds a great deal at the markdown rack! Congrats. Hope bambi has other places she'd rather dine at.
Fantastic find!!! If you turn it into more shrubs, the price on each goes down even more! I've not had 100% results with cuttings but have never failed to 'make' a new shrub by ground layering. Bend a branch to the ground, lay a rock or brick over it so it maintains contact with the soil, forget about it. When all 3 are lined up, it's 'done': it has made roots, you have time to move and tend it in the near future, and a spot for it to go to. You can know it's well rooted if you remove the brick/rock and it stays down, resists gentle tugging. I just moved 5 little Hydrangeas to my Mom's yard that I'd 'pinned down' last summer. Last years' crop was 7 new plants, which look great this spring in their various locations. I've never had any trouble planting/moving Hydrangeas in the middle of summer, but have also never done it in TX, YMMV. As a plant that prefers shade, it shouldn't be baking in the sun anyway. A lawn chair can make a temporary spot of shade, and I only would do that if I know I'm going to be around a lot for the next few weeks to monitor it for wilting. Your style and schedule might be different, but I have a much easier time (and spend a lot less time) tending plants in the ground than in a pot, especially during the heat of summer. Potted plants need a drink almost daily. Ground plants, more like weekly (if it doesn't rain.)
I imagine it was on clearance because the flowers are starting to wither. One of the best deer repellents I've ever known was moth balls! My roommate of a few years ago had plants that were eaten down to the nubs by deer. I will say they never touched her hydrangeas, though her large, beautiful hostas seemed to be their favorite! Anyway, after trying several different deer deterrents over the seasons, she finally found that moth balls did the trick!
