The Endless Summer® Collection of hydrangeas features a new mophead hydrangea that can bloom on both old and new wood. The repeat blooms truly offer gardeners an endless summer of incredible color. This hardy plant is perfect for everything from foundation planting to container gardening. It makes a perfect focal point or accent to any shade garden. You can even make an ideal floral arrangement or table setting with the cut flowers.

This year's newest member of the Endless Summer® Collection is the "Twist-n-Shout™" big leaf hydrangea. "Twist-n-Shout™" produces abundant blooms on both old and new wood all summer long. Lacy, deep-pink centers are surrounded by gorgeous blossoms of pink or periwinkle blue, depending upon the soil type. Sturdy red stems and glossy deep green leaves turn red-burgundy in fall to offer year-round interest in the garden. Easy to care for and hardy to zone 4, "Twist-n-Shout™" is an elegant stand-alone specimen, dramatic in combination with other plants, and compact enough for containers.

The flowers grow up to 8" in diameter, with pink blooms in alkaline soils and blue blooms in acidic soil. As with all hydrangeas, Endless Summer performs best in moist (but not wet) soil conditions and protection from the afternoon sun. We have a great selection of this beautiful hydrangea, so don’t delay. Add some color to your shade garden today!

Flowers brighten a room or entrance in a way that nothing else can, but cut flowers fade, and there are spots where a container garden is not convenient or safe. Hanging baskets--living flower bouquets--can make a porch or patio come to life with bright color, as their scent fills the air with delicate fragrance. Nothing is more welcoming than a cheerful entrance filled with blooms, and the serenity and elegance that lush, overflowing baskets of flowers bring to a patio or deck is unmatched.

Sun River Gardens has a wide variety of container gardens and hanging baskets, grown right here in Utah. Here are some tips for keeping your baskets looking their best:

Watering

Container plantings can often suffer from dehydration, especially in the summer months of the year. Water them frequently, especially if your container plant is a water-thirsty fellow. A drip system can save time, plus save all the water that's wasted when you go from plant to plant with a hose. In very hot weather, containers seem to dry out almost as soon as they're watered. It's not only the heat; dry air literally pulls moisture out of the soil, right through the sides of porous pots.

Adjust watering frequency according to the needs of the types of containers that you have in your gardens. Terracotta pots are probably the most porous of the clay pots; this porosity allows the soil to dry out more quickly.

Glazed pots are next in line. The glaze on the outside of the pot actually helps to keep moisture in, at least more than a non-glazed clay pot would. Large and/or thick cement containers probably fall in line together with the glazed pots.

Finally, there are plastic and some of the new composite material containers. These materials do not "breathe" at all, except at the top exposed-soil surface area. This container will hold the moisture far longer than terracotta will.

Soil & Plant Types

Take into consideration the type of potting soil that you have used and water needs of the plant in your container. Drought-tolerant plants will like a pot that dries out quickly, but perhaps a water-needy plant would not be so happy.

The soil mix itself should breathe. It should be light and airy, which can be accomplished by adding perlite or sponge rock. We want our potting soil to have this capability of "breathing"; however, this will also require you to be more vigilant about watering.

If you let your potting soil dry out too much, the next time you water, even though you see water coming out of the container at the bottom, the water has really only taken the path of least resistance...along the outer margins of the soil, along the inside edge of the pot. You think that you have watered, but you have only "shown the water" to your poor dried-out plant.

If this happens, you will need to leave the water dripping into your container for a long enough time to "rehydrate" the potting soil. If the container is small enough, dunk it into a big bucket of water and let it sit there until you hear happy sounds from your plant--or at least until you can see your plant has perked up! Then remove it and let it drain as normal--you don't want to risk root-rot either.

Deadhead

Deadhead any spent flowers as soon as their blooms begin to die back, carefully avoiding the buds (ask one of our friendly nursery pros if you are unfamiliar with this technique). Not only will your baskets look fresh and neat, but you'll help to prevent diseases and pests from entering the plants.

Hang it Straight

Your hanging baskets will always hang straight if you bend all of their wires simultaneously before you attach their plant hangers.

Grasp a three- or four-wire plant hanger so all the wires are held tightly together, and bend the ends of the wires all at once into a hook, about 4 inches from the tips. Then spread the wires apart. Hook each plant-hanger wire under the top basket wire or through a hole in a wooden or plastic basket, and then bend the plant-hanger wire back around itself.

Product Spotlight:

Raymond Evison® Clematis Plants & Clematis Vines

Clematis plants & clematis vines from Raymond Evison Clematis® result from over four decades of dedicated work in searching, breeding, introducing and cultivating the best clematis plants and vines.

Our premium quality plants, grown in 3 liter pots and trained on an 85 cm trellis are fully mature two season old plants--not plugs or liners. They will be ready to plant outside (in season) or to enjoy flowering in their supplied pot.

These unique gold medal winning clematis plants and vines undergo 10 years of trial and assessment to guarantee reliable, free flowering and top performing clematis plants and clematis vines that represent truly modern flowering plants suitable for today's homes and gardens.

Raymond Evison® clematis plants and vines are available for purchase through a network of garden centers throughout the United Kingdom and North America. There's no longer any reason to be intimidated by these classic beauties, in large part because of these new, smaller, easy-care clematis varieties.

Do ladybugs really help control bad insects?

Answer:

They sure do! In fact, ladybugs are one of the most effective predatory insects around--and love to make a meal out of bad ones. But give them time to do their thing. If you get too impatient with them, they just might "fly away home." Make sure your garden friends are happy by providing them with water and shelter. Remember that good bugs are living creatures and they have feelings too.

It is best to release them in the evening or early morning, just after you have watered the garden. This will help keep them in the garden. It is also better to release them in small batches all around your garden than in one big group; otherwise, they might get all huffy and start duking it out for the territory.

Ladybugs are more likely to remain in your garden if there is a ready food supply. It is important to provide them with an alternative food source when meals of pest insects are scarce. Flowers produce nectar and pollen, which ladybugs also need to survive. Plan your garden to feed beneficial insects by choosing a variety of plants that will bloom as many months of the year as possible.

Don't be surprised if they leave after they have removed all your bad insects, though. They will only stick around for as long as there is a good food source in your garden.

Product Spotlight: Master Nursery Black Forest

Master Nursery Black Forest is a premium soil conditioner for trees, shrubs, roses, vegetables and lawns. This blend of forest humus has been fortified with nitrogen and iron and will not deplete soil of pre-existing nitrogen like untreated products. It loosens hard, compacted soils to improve drainage and increase moisture retention.

You can use it as a soil amendment or as a top dressing for lawns and garden beds. 

Click here to print specials for our newsletter subscribers only!