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  • Amateur Gardening

    Ask JOHN NEGUS

    Jun 28, 2022 6 minutes

    Help needed for magnolia and hydrangea

    Q A few months ago we planted a Magnolia stellata and this past week the leaves seemed to be going a darker colour. Is it OK or does it need a feed? Also, two of our hydrangeas aren’t flowering, though they have healthy leaves.

    Ken Fern (via email)

    A I am sorry that the leaves of your Magnolia stellata are not as green and healthy as they should be.

    The best way to encourage foliage to develop the lustre you are seeking is to feed the tree with Sequestrene, a plant food that provides nutrients which improve photosynthesis.

    Additionally, mulch the root area with 4in (10cm) of moisture-conserving composted manure.

    As for two of your hydrangeas failing to flower, it’s probably because they are reacting to another meteorologically strange spring and early summer.

    This shrub needs an abundance of moisture to trigger blooming.

    I urge you, therefore, to help it grow normally and bloom well annually to feed it monthly, from now until September, with

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