How to trim Hydrangeas…

 

 

 

First, let me say that I am no garden expert! But I must be doing something right because here is how my Hydrangea bushes look this year…

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

They are currently just bursting with buds...I am so excited!

 

 

 

 

 

 

Last Spring I shared this post about my non blooming Hydrangeas. The bushes were always healthy, but did not produce any blooms…

 

 

 

Last Year…

 

 

 

 

 

This Year…

 

 

 

 

 

I think I finally figured out how to trim them properly so that they will produce blooms the following season. After reading several websites, magazines, and listening to talk radio garden gurus, I just may have the secret…dead wood!

 

 

The trick is to leave the dead or dormant stalks on the plant when you trim them. I was trimming them all wrong. In years past, I would cut the dead stems down to the ground in the fall…leaving just a few inches of stem.

 

To get beautiful blooms…leave the “dead wood” …

 

 

 

 

 

 

You can see here where I cut the stalk last fall. Then the new stalks grew from that point…

 

 

 

 

 

 

Now they are so happy and healthy and bursting with blooms…

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I could not resist bringing a few of the early blooms into the house to enjoy…

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I will be enjoying these blooms...one of my favorites...all summer long!

 

 

 

 

 

 

DIY...Tree Stump Table

A while back, I shared a post about having a few dead and dying pine trees removed from our backyard. See full post here.

 

 

 

 

After this huge tree was cut down, I was left with a huge stack of these…

While staring at these beautiful, raw stumps…I envisioned some of them looking more like some of these…

 

 

A Beautiful Mess

 

 

The Art of Doing Stuff

 

 

 

 

 

Nickadoo Tree Trunk Tables

 

 

 

I picked one of my stumps and got to work! There are many tutorials on how to DIY a tree stump table…I followed some of the tips from Karen of The Art of Doing Stuff blog. Her step by step tutorial is excellent!

 

 

I started with this stump…

 

 

 

 

 

 

Since the tree had been dead for a while before we cut it down, the bark peeled right off with my hands. Then all I had to do was sand the top and sides…

I used several different grits of sandpaper…starting with the roughest 60 grit, then working down to the finest 150 grit. This gave the sides a nice smooth finish…

I noticed that the top of my stump had a couple of deep pits…

 

 

 

I used some Elmer’s Wood Filler and a putty knife to fill the holes. Just apply a couple of coats of putty, sanding between each application…

 

 

 

Next step was to attach some legs. I found this set at Ikea, and they worked perfectly!

I  really liked the color and grain patterns on the sides of the stump…

I decided to stain the sides with a semi transparent stain to enhance, not cover up the variations. I used Wood Classics stain from Sherwin Williams in Pickled White. I also decided to paint the top with some ASCP in Old White…

Somehow I did not get photos of these two simple steps…bad blogger! However, just follow the directions on the can for the stain, let dry overnight, then paint the top with a couple of coats of ASCP – using your blue painters tape to make a nice smooth line…

And here it is! All styled and ready for sale at our shop Hip Chick Designs. I really like the way the white top and grayish sides have a beachy/coastal feel and look!

I love the way it turned out! I think I will make a couple more like this. I also have plans to make a few on casters, and some smaller ones to be used in groupings. Luckily I have a pile of stumps to choose from right in my backyard!

Sharing with:   The Dedicated House, Uncommon Designs,  Bloom Designs,
The Girl Creative, Reasons To Skip The Housework , High Heels and Grills ,
House of Hepworths , Jennifer Rizzo,  Miss Mustard Seed, Serenity Now,
Classy Clutter, French Country Cottage, Remodelaholic,


Happy Mothers Day…

The moment a child is born, the mother is also born. She never existed before. The woman existed, but the mother, never. A mother is something absolutely new. ~Unknown