Beware: Woman with Shovel

I purchased Hydrangea Endless Summer about 3 years ago.  The first year it did bloom with two or three blooms for the season.  I really enjoyed the autumn colourations of red and gold.  The second year and this year the plant grew bigger but it produced not one bloom.   I had mixed feelings about it whether I would move it to another location in the garden or just toss it in the compost or give it a way and call it a day.   An empty hole is an opportunity to try something new...shaking my head up and down.   This morning I came to a snap decision.   Today is the day I take that shrub and move it to another location.   I will give you one more chance.

Earlier in the summer I expanded a bed on the southwest side of the house.   I used the lasagna method.   I am sure you have heard of this.   I ran a rope along the area I wanted to expand.   I dug out a trench at the front of it and removed the grass in the trench.  The rest I left as grass.   I next got several layers of newspapers and wet them down to hold them in place.  They would blow away otherwise.  Use as many layers as you want.  Mine are 3 or 4 layers thick.   Next, I emptied the compost bins of ready to use compost and spread it on the area trying to cover as much as I could.   I then went to the pile of manure that is sitting at one end of the garden.   Hubby brought it home in the spring.  It is really rotted.....good stuff.    I then added a layer of manure over the whole area.   The final layer is good triple mix hubby   purchased from the nursery and loaded  in the truck.  I did not measure how deep I spread it but a good 4 or 5 inches anyway.   I then left the bed to just settle and the grass underneath to decompose over the summer.

Here is the soil going on the top.    I did not have any plan for particular plants at the time.  There are always a few in the yard that need moving for one reason or another. 

This morning the Hydrangea Endless Summer got planted in the new bed.  I hope it is happier here.   We will give it a chance to settle in over the winter and then check its progress next year.   The plant itself is very healthy.

Daylily Many Happy Returns went in the hole that Endless Summer came out off.   I can rely on the daylilies for bloom and performance.  They rarely disappoint.    So,  if you see a mad woman with a shovel it is probably me.   Happy Gardening.  Valerie