as soon as it was brought home from the birthday party. An ideal planting site for these shrubs is in partial shade, though they can take full sun for most of the day as long as they get shade during the warmest hours (usually between 2 and 6 PM). Hydrangeas like slightly acidic soil with a pH of between 5.8 and 6.2 that is well-draining but kept moist. 

Pinky Winky Hydrangeas are also sold by some nurseries as small trees, which can reach about 8 feet tall with a 6 foot wide crown. For more information on more species and varieties of Hydrangea, as well as care information, click the link below to be taken to their plant page:

What's Going On?
It looks like this Hydrangea is in serious need of some water. With the somewhat cooler weather we've had in the past week here in the Bay Area, many gardeners took a short break from watering their plants so frequently (I know I did!). But it's important to remember that the plants we care for (especially those grown in pots) still do need to be at least checked for soil moisture daily; they have no way of sending their roots further down in search of water. Watering once a week is not sufficient for a Hydrangea plant in a nursery pot, a more ideal watering schedule would be at least 2-3 times per week.

Also, by this point the soil in the pot is most likely hydrophobic, meaning that it will not do a great job absorbing water for roots to use. Most of the water will run off the top of the soil, down the sides of the root ball inside the container, and right out the holes in the bottom without so much as touching a root. Further concerning the root system of the plant, it is possible that because the pot size is so small, the plant is root-bound. Luckily, all of these issues are fixable.

To try to save this plant, we'll do some initial pruning and soil rehydration followed with a repotting and top dressing. 

A Little Haircut
Cut off the flowers on this Hydrangea plant. Flowers take a lot of water to form and bloom, and cutting them off will allow the plant to send more of its energy and resources to repairing itself and forming a strong root system. If there are any smaller flower buds on the plant, cut them off as well.

Rehydrate the Soil
Fill a 5-gallon bucket or similar container with water and lower the Hydrangea in its container into the water. It will try to stay afloat at first, but the longer it is held under, the more it will take on water and become less buoyant. Once the pot is staying under the water on its own, it can be pulled out and set aside to drain. Repeat this process every 2-3 days until water poured at the base of the main stem is readily absorbed by the soil.

Find a pot with nice drainage holes that is 4-5 inches wider in diameter than the nursery pot and fill the bottom of the pot with well-draining potting soil. A good mix for container-grown Hydrangeas is a standard potting mix with a scoop of perlite and a generous amount of compost thrown in. Don't worry about fertilizing at this point; it's possible that it will overwhelm the plant's recovering root system to have to deal with so many changes at once. Add enough soil to the bottom of the pot so that when the nursery pot is set inside, it sits about 2 inches below the container rim. Then, remove the Hydrangea from its nursery pot and check out the root system.

Make sure that the Hydrangea is surrounded with enough soil to keep it in place, but don't pack it down too much. The soil should have enough pore space to allow for healthy root growth. Give the new pot a soaking and ensure that good drainage is happening. 

Topdress the Pot
​The final step to bringing the Hydrangea back to full health is to add a 2 inch layer of organic mulch to the soil surface. Ensure that the mulch doesn't go right up to the main stem of the plant, keep it about 2-3 inches away. Adding mulch to your container will help to keep moisture in the soil, suppress weed growth, and maintain soil temperature.

After taking these steps, it's time to sit back and watch your Hydrangea recover. The container should be placed in an area that is somewhat sheltered for a while, to avoid any other issues from taking hold while the plant is vulnerable. Make sure it is protected from direct afternoon sun, and water every 2-3 days after checking for soil moisture. If an eventual goal is to put the plant in the ground, wait until next springtime to give it time to recover and get used to the climate in your garden. With some luck, this plant will be saved!

This past weekend, I headed out to Lake Amador in Ione, California. My husband is a big fisherman, and he went up to participate in their annual Trout Derby. I joined him after a few days, after I got off work on Saturday night. When I got to the lake, it was cold, dark, wet, and windy. The rain had turned our campsite into a slushy, muddy mess. So I made quick work of  setting up the canopy and getting our sleeping situation figured out, and we went to bed, crossing our fingers on both hands for a clear morning.

The next day, I woke up to a beautiful surprise. Fields of orange wildflowers surrounded our campsite, dotting the grassy hills with color. The flowers stood on tall, slender green stems, and the inflorescences reminded me of young, curled fiddlehead fern fronds. I went to work identifying these blooms the lazy way (aka Google Image Search). The results I received pointed me to the genus Amsinckia.

This genus is native to western North America and south-western South America, and are commonly called Fiddlenecks, due to the curled shape of their new flower infloresences. ​They are in the Boraginaceae family, making them relatives of Forget-Me-Nots and Borage. They, like Borage, are somewhat edible; Native Americans ate the leaves, shoots, and seeds. Before you go eating them, however, do keep in mind that they are bristly, and that their sharp hairs can be irritating to skin. I also have come across some information about seed and other toxicities in some species, as well, so make sure you do a boatload of research before stickin' anything in your mouth. The flowers of most species are yellow-orange, and the stems grow to reach between 8 and 50 inches tall. All species are annual, and there are twelve of them.

Flowers on the plants I found had five petals, were definitely more orange than yellow, and had darker orange marks toward the center of the bloom. Stems and flower buds were bristly but not overly so, and leaves had smooth margins and were slightly fuzzy. Each plant had a terminal inflorescence, with another close to the top, as in the photo above. Taller plants had other infloresences appearing at intervals going down the main stem. Leaves were lanceolate. I tried to use these clues to compare them to the remaining four species on the list:

I think it's safe to rule out Amsinckia vernicosa; the stems on the plants I found are clearly not pink or as thick as those in that species. Just on looks alone, it is most similar to Amsinckia menziesii, and since that species is the only one whose range map includes Amador County (the others only come close), that's another mark towards its positive identification. It may be a hybrid between A. menziesii and one of the two remaining species, as well. Not having an identification guide, I think it's as close as I'm going to get.

I'm so happy to have discovered a new species for my books, and have learned a lot about these plants along the way. Hopefully I'll be able to go back over to Amador soon, so I can take more pictures and do a little more investigating.

Until next time, 

Kristi