www.taranakidailynews.co.

nz Friday, June 25, 2010 TARANAKI DAILY NEWS 13

GARDENING www.taranakidailynews.co.nz

Winter pruning Hydrangea macrophylla: a step-by-step

guide with Abbie Jury and Lloyd Sorensen
The common hydrangeas belong to the macrophylla family. These give us most of the

traditional mop-tops, along with the flat heads of many lace-cap varieties. Less
common hydrangea species (the ones with oak leaves, cone flower heads, evergreens
and the like) often have different pruning requirements, but it is the macrophyllas we
are looking at today.
1
It is not essential to prune hydrangeas. They will still flower if not pruned, but
you will usually get many small flowers on a bush that grows ever larger.
Pruning takes place to keep the bush smaller and tidier and to encourage
bigger blooms.

and his father, Henry Algernon

Winterthur, United States
Winterthur is a 979-acre country
estate in Delaware with gardens,
rolling hills, streams, meadows
and forests. The garden as it is
seen today was designed by
Henry Francis du Pont
(1880-1969) and landscape
architect Marian Coffin.
In the early 20th century, H. F.
du Pont, designed the estate (then
encompassing 2500 acres) in the
spirit of 18th- and 19th-century
European country houses. H.F.
added to the home many times
thereafter, eventually moving to
a smaller house on the estate
when the main building became
a public museum in 1951.
It includes the 8-acre Azalea
Woods, the March Bank,
Magnolia Bend, the Pinetum,
Winterhazel Area, Sundial
Garden, Peony Garden,
Reflecting Pool and Glade
Garden, Quarry Garden and
Enchanted Woods – a children’s
garden.

Aloe thraskii
2 3
Most hydrangea stems will have a series of buds in pairs visible down their Using secateurs, prune back to the lowest pair of fat buds. If that is still much
length. The fat buds are flower buds. The thin, small buds are leaf buds. Ideally, taller than you want, trim back to the lowest single fat bud. One of the tree aloes
you want pairs of fat buds, because that will be two flower heads. But from southern Africa,
sometimes you find one fat bud paired with a small leaf bud. You will only get one A. thraskii is putting
flower from that spike. up its heads of yellow
flowers now. I am not
a fan of spiky plants
in our garden, but I
am willing to make an

5
Because most exception for some of
hydrangeas flower the handsome aloes.
on last year’s Thraskii is sometimes
growth, if you cut too referred to as the
low down and without dune aloe (it grows
taking any account of naturally in coastal
the difference dune areas) or the
between leaf buds palm aloe. (On the
and flower buds, you grounds, perhaps,
will have cut all the that if you were
coming summer’s nearly blind and
flowers off. You can galloping past on a
cut off near to runaway horse, you
ground level if you may think it
want to rejuvenate resembled a palm?)
an old plant and it What is special
will shoot again, about thraskii for our
but you will have purposes is that
to wait 18 months despite its hot, coastal
for flowers. We origins, it is pretty tolerant of sprung into action yet. This
have pruned for higher rainfalls and even the odd could be because each leaf is
flowers on this light frost. Planting it in free- thick, heavy and edged in saw-
plant. draining soils is even more tooth prickles and could make a
important if you are growing it suitable weapon for guerrilla
in higher rainfall conditions. We fighters. Maybe we will just let it
have undertaken some flower first.
reorganisation of the area The yellow tubular blooms
around our thraskii – which is hanging from the flower spikes
now about 15 years old and more that issue from the centre of its

4
After you have reduced the height of each stem, look at the clump and take out than a couple metres tall – and I topknot are not as spectacular as
any really old, thick, woody stems and any spindly weak ones. You can also have issued an edict that I would some of the other aloe blooms,
take out stems that are headed sideways and those with no flower buds if you like it moved. Fortunately, aloes but they are still pleasing on a
want to keep your bush more compact. Photos: ABBIE JURY can be moved relatively easily, dreary winter’s day.
but I do notice that nobody has – Abbie Jury

from concept to reality CAVALIERS

WINTER WARMER
Cavalier Homes Taranaki are
offering you the opportunity to be
New Homes
the lucky winner of $10,000 CASH
$350,000 - $450,000

Forklifts!
Silver Award & Overall From the 9th May to 27th August 2010 the
first 9 people to sign a contract to build with
Category Winner us will have the chance to win $10,000 CASH
NO CATCHES!!! THAT’S A 1 IN 9 CHANCE,
• Rental 40 forklifts from 1.5 to 10 tonnes! UNBELEIVABLE ODDS
Winner will be drawn & announced 28th August 2010
• Servicing All brands repaired incl. electrics
• Sales New Toyotas and used trucks Showhome Call us today to take advantage
of our FREE architectural design service.
• Parts Toyota BT and all makes and models * Hay / Silage 4 sale * Metal / Lime / Fines at 211 Heta Rd

R
* Farm Track Maintenance * Digger Hire Now Open:
For a Hassle Free Home

H
Plus BT Warehouse Handling Equipment for sale Tuesdays &
* Truck Hire * Stock Transport

HASSALL HOMES LTD.

Thursdays 12pm-3pm
Sundays 12pm-3pm
Real Homes
34 Hurlstone Drive HAY/SILAGE AVAILABLE NOW - WE CAN DELIVER
P.O. Box 3171, New Plymouth Call Vicky for any other Real People
Contact us TODAY for a NO OBLIGATION QUOTE
viewing times
Ph (06) 757 5197 or 0800 30 30 90
Murray on 0274 444 960 Scott on 0276 622 540
2721220AC

Fax (06) 757 5158 196 Courtenay Street, New Plymouth LOCALLY OWNED & OPERATED Cavalier Homes Taranaki | 94 Rata Street, Inglewood, Taranaki
Manager: Mike Robinson phone: (06) 757 3104 website: www.hassallhomes.co.nz Phone (06) 756 6049 | Vicky 0274 812 069 | Website www.cavalierhomes.co.nz
2316779AA 2784918AA A/H Phone: (06) 752 0601 2189220AC