Question: Can I plant a hydrangea in a pot? If I do, how do I overwinter it? -Baltic gardener

Answer: Hydrangeas can be planted in a pot. To overwinter, leave the pot outside to freeze in the fall then put it in an unheated garage or shed. The plant is done growing for the season and by letting it freeze outdoors, mother nature tells the plant to stop growing and begin dormancy.

Once the plant is brought into the garage or shed, ensure a constant temperature and avoid freeze-thaw fluctuations. The plant probably will stay around freezing and that’s right where you want it to stay until spring. Good luck.

Blue hydrangeas

q: What do blue hydrangeas need to stay blue? – Feeling blue in Sioux Falls

A: Everyone wants hydrangeas, and they want blue flowers. Keep them blue by planting them in acidic soil. Add aluminum phosphate or cotton seed meal to your soil to make it acidic. Aluminum phosphate is the chemical way to alter your soil; mix it with water like you are fertilizing the plant. Or mix it directly in the soil.

Cotton seed meal is the organic way to keep them blue. It’s more earth friendly and can be added anytime but it takes longer to break down and acidify the soil. Apply by mixing directly with the dirt.
Bring hibiscus outside

Q: Can I take my hibiscus outdoors now? – Sioux Falls gardener

A: Yes. It’s warm enough overnight in our Zone 4 area to move your tropical hibiscus outdoors.

To ensure plentiful blooms in all blooming tropical plants, place it in a sunny spot and add fertilizer every time you water or once a week. If you need to transplant, move it up to a pot one inch larger than the one it was in. If you go bigger than that, the plant has a tendency to put more energy into root growth and you’ll sacrifice blooms until the roots grow enough to touch the sides of the pot. When you transplant, shake off the old dirt around the roots and add new soil.
Dead spots in grass

Q: I have dead spots in my lawn. What can I do about it? – Sioux Falls lawn boy

A: You may have to live with it for a while. We are noticing a lot of turf damage around town from the winter and late deep freezes in April. There are scattered areas in the grass that froze and died completely.

If you already have applied a crab grass preventer, you will have to wait 50 to 70 days before reseeding, but that will take us to the middle of July and the hottest part of the summer, which is not a good time to seed a lawn. So wait until August or September to seed. Fall is the next best time to seed, and the grass will have plenty of time to green up in the cool fall weather.

If you have not yet applied a crab grass preventer you can seed now.
Peony mishap

Q: The leaves on two of my peony plants are wrinkled and misshapen, but there are plenty of buds and the rest of the plant looks fine. What’s wrong? Should I be worried? – Passionate Peony Person from Parker

A: Peonies are extremely long-lived perennials, easily outliving the gardener. White House peonies have been there longer than any administration, and some of them are more than 100 years old.

Plant your peonies in a sunny spot away from big trees so there is no competition for moisture and nutrients. They won’t flower much.

They like a slightly heavy, well-drained soil, with a neutral pH. The plants can reach three feet in diameter so space four to five feet apart when planting. They don’t need much fertilizer but prefer a compost or bone meal dressing in the spring.

Keep in mind not all plants are perfect. The wrinkled leaves probably are an environmental issue, perhaps from our late season cold snap since it’s too early for insects. Be patient and let nature work itself out. Even if the leaves are wrinkled, they still are functioning.

Cool News: Potted plants often will flower more when they are root bound.

Sources: Erik Helland, president of Landscape Garden Center. Reach Dorene Weinstein at 331-2315. Submit questions to life@argusleader.com or to Dorene Weinstein at the Argus Leader, P.O. Box 5034, Sioux Falls, S.D. 57117-5034.

source : www.argusleader.com