🌳 Trees, Shrubs & Perennials
💙 Hydrangeas
Incrediball, Incrediball Blush and Invincibelle Ruby (smooth hydrangeas); Bobo and Little Lime (panicle hydrangeas); Let’s Dance Lovable (reblooming bigleaf).
• Zone: Smooth types: Zones 3–8; panicle types: Zones 3–9 — both very hardy here. Let’s Dance bigleaf: Zones 5–9.
• Sun: Panicle (Bobo, Little Lime): full sun to part sun. Smooth (Incrediball, Invincibelle): morning sun with afternoon shade. Bigleaf (Let’s Dance): morning sun, afternoon shade.
• Water: About 1 inch a week, more in the first summer and in heat. Water deeply at the base and mulch 2–3 inches.
• Fertilizer: One application of slow-release shrub fertilizer in spring. Don’t feed after July.
• Winter care: Smooth and panicle hydrangeas need nothing special. For Let’s Dance, leave the old stems standing and mulch the base after the ground freezes.
• Pruning: Smooth and panicle hydrangeas bloom on new wood — cut them back in late winter or early spring (smooth to 12–18 inches, panicle by about one-third). Let’s Dance blooms on old and new wood — only remove dead stems in spring.
• Problems: Afternoon wilting on hot days is normal if it perks up by evening. Leaf spot: water at the base, not overhead. Bigleaf flower color follows soil pH — acidic soil gives blue, alkaline gives pink.
🌲 Thuja ‘Green Giant’ (Available Now — 1-Gallon Pots, $10)
A fast, dense evergreen for privacy screens and windbreaks.
• Zone: 5–8.
• Mature size: 40–60 feet tall and 12–18 feet wide, growing 2–4 feet a year once established. Give it room.
• Sun: Full sun to part shade (at least 6 hours).
• Soil: Clay, loam or sand, as long as it drains. Not salt tolerant, so keep it away from salted roads and driveways.
• Planting: Space 5–6 feet apart for a hedge (8–10 feet for single specimens), about 8 feet from buildings and fences. Dig a hole 2–3 times as wide as the pot and only as deep as the root ball. Loosen circling roots, set the top of the root ball level with the ground, backfill with the soil you dug out and water deeply. Skip fertilizer at planting.
• Water: Water deeply once a week for the first two years and during any dry spell. Water well in late fall before the ground freezes.
• Fertilizer: Slow-release evergreen fertilizer in early spring. Established trees rarely need it.
• Winter care: Mulch 2–3 inches (keep it off the trunk). Young trees in open, windy spots benefit from a burlap windbreak the first winter. Gently brush off heavy snow.
• Pruning: Not required. For a formal hedge, lightly shear in late spring or early summer. Don’t cut the central leader or into bare brown wood.
• Pests: Bagworms hatch in late May and June; hand-pick the bags from fall to early spring, before they hatch. Spider mites in hot, dry weather. Deer rarely bother Green Giant.
🌳 Other Shrubs & Trees
Spiraea ‘Neon Flash’ and every new shrub or tree you plant.
• Spiraea: Zones 4–9, full sun. Blooms on new wood — cut back by one-third in late winter, and shear lightly after the first flush for more flowers. Light spring fertilizer, drought tolerant once established.
• All new shrubs and trees: Water deeply once a week the first year, mulch 2–3 inches, and stop fertilizing after July so new growth can harden off before winter.
💜 Lavender
Munstead, Hidcote Blue and Blue Spear.
• Zone: 5–8 (Blue Spear 6–8) — all hardy here with good drainage.
• Sun: Full sun, 8+ hours.
• Soil: Sharp drainage is everything: lean, gravelly or sandy soil, a raised bed or a pot. Wet winter soil kills more lavender than cold does.
• Water: Water regularly the first season, then only in long dry spells.
• Fertilizer: Little or none — rich soil makes floppy plants with less scent.
• Winter care: No heavy mulch against the crown. Pea gravel around the base keeps it dry.
• Pruning: In spring, once new green growth appears, cut back by about one-third. Shear lightly after the first bloom. Never cut into bare, woody stems.
• Harvest: Cut stems when the first flowers on the spike open, and hang them upside down to dry.
🌸 Perennials & Vines
Coneflowers, hardy hibiscus, dianthus and clematis.
• Coneflower (Panama Red, Panama Rose, Artisan Soft Orange): Zones 4–9, full sun. Drought tolerant once established; no fertilizer needed. Deadhead for more blooms, or leave the seed heads for the birds; cut back in spring.
• Hardy hibiscus (Luna Red, Luna Pink Swirl): Zones 5–9, full sun and moist soil. It wakes up late — often not until late May or June, so don’t give up on it. Cut stems to 4–6 inches in late fall or early spring. Watch for Japanese beetles.
• Dianthus (Rockin’ Rose): Zones 5–8, full sun, well-drained soil. Shear off spent flowers for repeat bloom.
• Clematis: Zones 4–9. “Head in the sun, feet in the shade” — sunny vines, cool, mulched roots. Plant the crown 2–3 inches deeper than it was in the pot. Arabella: cut back to 12 inches in late winter. Dr. Ruppel, Daniel Deronda and Will Barron bloom on old and new wood — just remove dead stems and lightly trim in early spring.
• Fertilizer (all): Compost or a light slow-release fertilizer in spring.
• Winter care (all): Water well into fall. After the ground freezes, add 2–3 inches of mulch, especially around first-year plants, to prevent frost heaving.
📖 Plant Care Guides — 5 parts
1. Zone Finder & Storage
2. Citrus & Tropicals
3. Trees, Shrubs & Perennials (you are here)
4. Flowers & Hanging Baskets
5. Vegetables, Herbs & Garlic
🐞 For a full pest and disease guide and our Zone 6b planting calendar, see our Garden Guides.
🧼 Wash all produce before eating, and read our Food Safety & Disclaimers.
❓ Questions? Email info@poeslittlefarm.com or text “Poe’s” and your question to 419-349-8242 (texting hours Mon–Fri 9 am–5 pm, Sat 10 am–3 pm) — we’re happy to help.