Hello, I hope you are all having a great holiday season, my wife's and mine has been great. Can you direct me to information on growing Brugs in the northern climes? I suspect this info already exists? I have done pretty well for the last 6 years here in upstate New York but, feel I could do better.My best grower and bloomer to date is Charles Grimaldi. I read the Brugs. are heavy feeders and I do most of my feeding in mid spring for mostly my twenty plus Clematis varieties. I feed heavily with old stable manure, Bone Meal. alfalfa and trip 10. I loosen soil then shovel on ten or twelve inch rings about 4 inches high. scratch this in a little. Then do not feed again till after big flush, usually July. I would like to include 3 groups of 3 Brugs in my gardens this year, but would love to have them GREEN and flowering well.....wouldn't we all! Thank you Lee Sherwood McDonald
Growing and flowering tips for Brugs. in 5B
Lee,
GordonHawk, who lives in New York City, is probably your best bet for information on growing in northern climates. I think he still posts here at Dave's.
Brug needs are pretty much the same every where when they are actively growing. The differences arise in the late fall when you need to prepare them for winter. You won't be able to overwinter them outside in Zone 5b. Plant your Brugs in the ground in the spring when all danger of a hard freeze is over and the ground has begun to warm up. You can cover and protect them from light frosts with a blanket or frost cloth. Remember though that Brugs go dormant below temperatures of 40 - 45ºF. If you don't want to go through all the trouble of covering and uncovering the plants, wait until the air and ground temperatures rise above 45ºF.
They will grow best if they receive a steady flow of fertilizer that has a ratio of 3-1-2 instead of one or two massive doses of fertilizer which could damage the roots. They can grow rapidly so a steady dose of fertilizer is best, at least once or twice a week. Don't feed with a bloom booster type of fertilizer. The high phosphate content will cause the leaves to yellow and fall off. Because they are heavy feeders and can go through a lot of fertilizer, many of us use Miracle Grow which is cheap and easy to find. If you use a pelleted fertilizer, you will have to use more of it and more often because Brugs are watered more often.
Brugs, for the most part, are rather scraggly, but with age they will put out more branches and look denser. Flower bud clusters are produces after every "Y". So protecting that all important first "Y" is crucial. If you start off with cuttings from below the original "Y", the plant will have to go through the entire vegetative growth cycle before it produces its first "Y" and starts to produce buds. Cuttings taken from below the original "Y" will give you very straight growth which is great if you like to grow standard tree forms, but it will take longer for the Brug to bloom that first year. Some Brugs will need a second season before producing a "Y". If, when you dig out your Brugs to overwinter them, you make sure to conserve at least 2 - 3 layers of "Y", the Brugs will bloom earlier the following year. If digging up the entire plant is too much for you, take plenty of cuttings from above the "Y" for earlier blooms and long straight cuttings that have come up from the ground for new standards.
If you have any more or more specific question regarding growing in New York, I'm sure Gordon would be happy to answer what questions you may have. However, it would help if you were a bit more specific about your concerns.
Veronica
Hi Veronica, Thank you for your guidance and kindness I appreciate both a great deal!. Your information on not using flower producing fertilizer as it yellows and drops leaves.I did happen to know about the "Y" as it relates to flowering.I will find Gordon and he can probably direct me to were he has addressed these growing variation questions before. I have seen him displaying a large roof top collection of Brugs. before. Thank you, Lee Sherwood McDonald