Jeremy Siegel: This is GBH’s Morning edition. It is the summer of hydrangea in Boston. Truly a hydrangea bonanza. But what happens when they start to fall over?

Paris Alston: Joining us to answer that and more questions from you is meteorologist Dave Epstein. Hey there Dave, how’s it going?

Dave Epstein: Hey. Good morning. Hydrangea, hydrangea.

Siegel: Hydrangea. Okay.

Epstein: Just, Jeremy, because I just know that people are just, like, going, oh, my God, he’s not pronouncing that right.

Alston: It’s the Midwest accent.

Siegel: Thank you. Thank you. Dave. So I know we promised no more hydrangea questions, but the people have spoken and we’re going to get to one of those questions just ahead.

Epstein: Fair enough.

Siegel: But first we have one from Marco from Hyde Park, who wrote in with a gardening question for you, said, If I’m trying to create a bed for flowers and perennial grasses, what is the best material to put in first? Topsoil? Something else? Right now the area is somewhat dry and rocky, with lots of weeds that pop up. Do you have any advice for Marco?

Epstein: Yeah. I mean, if you’re going to establish a perennial wildflower garden, a couple of things. One is wildflowers don’t necessarily need super great soil. It depends on what you’re planting. And I would do your research on things that you want to put in there. So if you think about like, roadside, for example, you can get black-eyed Susans or something like that just to grow. They don’t need a lot of fertilizer. They don’t need necessarily wonderful soil. There’s plenty of things that are wild — that’s why they’re called wildflowers — that will grow in kind of regular soil. Now, if you’ve got the weeds in there and you want to do the wildflower meadow, let’s say from seed, it’s a little more difficult. But you can put the seeds in. You can actually do it this fall. A lot of those wildflowers will then seed in the fall, and then they’ll really start to grow again next spring. I would say add a little bit of — if it’s really rocky, I might add some loam, some compost, just kind of get the soil so that it has a little more oomph to it, and also holds moisture a little better. If it’s super dry, it’s going to be harder for those perennials to establish themselves. So maybe add some compost in there. But the rocks if it’s, it depends how rocky it is, Right? It’s hard with these things because I can’t see it. I gotta feel it and touch it.

Alston: But the mixing that you’re talking about, Dave, is reminding me of the grass conversation we had a few weeks ago, and that, ecological diversity that we like to talk about. So, speaking of perennials, let’s get into those hydrangeas. Jackie in Littleton says, what could I do for my hydrangeas that are starting to fall over? They’re getting too heavy. They bloom on old growth and I’m nervous about trimming. Also wondering what you think are the easiest native pollinators to grow, especially in a bunny hungry yard?

Epstein: Yeah. So we’ll take the hydrangea first. This year, especially when every all of them are doing so well and you’ve got these big mop heads, which is what she’s talking about. I just stake them. So you can get, you know, you can get some stakes, like a tomato stake or something like that. Put that in the ground. You can also just use like, sticks in the woods. If you live near the woods, just get some thick sticks, stick them in to the hydrangea area and then just tie them up. And it’s that simple. In terms of — the other question was.

Alston: About native, the easiest native pollinators to grow in a bunny-hungry yard.

Epstein: Yeah. I mean, rabbits really do like a lot of plants. So, you know, they’re going to nibble at a lot of different things. But, you know, again, rudbeckia would be good. Echinacea works pretty well. Some of the bee balms are native and would do well. But, you know, I’ve got these flowers around, and the bunnies just do nibble at them, so it’s pretty hard to find all sorts of rabbit-resistant stuff that also is, you know, you’ve got two combinations there that don’t necessarily work great together.

Siegel: All right. Another listener question here, Dave. Sean from Rhode Island has a problem and they want you to help. Says: I have an out of control Scottish pine. It was here when we bought the house. What can I do about it?

Epstein: Yeah, you can prune it back. I don’t necessarily — would not recommend pruning it now, because if you prune it now, there’s enough warm weather left that it’s going to start to put out new growth, and then that new growth may not necessarily be hardened off by the time it gets to winter. What I tend to do with my evergreens is I tend to prune them in either, very, very, very late fall after we’ve had a couple of hard freezes, so in December, before the snow flies; or I prune the very, very, very early in the spring, is the other time I do it like actually late winter. So as soon as I get into the garden, I do a lot of my pruning in late February and early March, and that can help. And you can really cut that back quite heavily. Just leave enough new, leave enough buds that are forming now if you’re going to prune it late winter, early spring so that it does have something to flesh out.

Alston: Well, that is GBH meteorologist Dave Epstein. Dave, thank you so much.

Epstein: You’re welcome.

Siegel: If you ever have a question for Dave, you can always email them to us at thewakeup@WGBH.org, or judt text this number: 617-300-2008. This is GBH News.

Meteorologist Dave Epstein is our go-to person for pressing weather questions on everything from winter blizzards to summer droughts. He’s also a horticulturist, meaning he’s an expert in anything that grows leaves and flowers. GBH’s Morning Edition asked our audience for weather and gardening questions, and Epstein graciously answered them on the air.

Have a gardening or weather question for meteorologist Dave Epstein? Email us at   thewakeup@wgbh.org or text 617-300-2008.

What I could do for my hydrangeas that are starting to fall over (too heavy)? They bloom on old growth and am nervous about trimming! Also wondering what you think are the easiest native pollinators to grow? Especially in a bunny-hungry yard. — Jackie in Littleton

A mild winter means hydrangeas have big, beautiful blooms this year, Epstein said. When those blooms get too heavy, there’s a simple solution.

“I just stake them,” he said. “You can get some stakes, like a tomato stake or something like that, and put that in the ground. You can also just use sticks in the woods. If you live near the woods, just get some thick sticks, stick them in to the hydrangea area and then just tie them up. And it’s that simple.”

Bamboo works well too, he said. And remember: Don’t trim it back too much.

“Do not cut the old wood as the bloom blossoms for 2025 are just beginning to form,” he said.

As for rabbits and pollinators, he had a list of suggestions:

  • Hellebores
  • Nepeta
  • Allium
  • Kniphofia, also known as red hot poker
  • Bee balm
  • Yarrow
  • Monkshood
  • Hardy geraniums
  • Hardy Perennial Salvias
  • Foxglove

If I’m trying to create a bed for flowers and perennial grasses, what’s the best material to put in first: Top soil? Something else? Right now, the area is somewhat dry and rocky with lots of weeds that pop up. — Marco from Hyde Park

“I would recommend creating a well-drained soil with lots of organic matter, but also good loam,” he said. “Some small rocks in the garden actually can add good drainage, but too many rocks can inhibit root growth. There is not an exact recipe to get your soil good for plants, but plants want to live and singley creating a solid base of well-balanced soil will likely be enough.”

Epstein suggested researching the specific genus you’re interested in before you plant. Generally speaking, wildflowers don’t need the fanciest, richest, most expensive soil to thrive, he said.

“If you think about like, roadside, for example, you can get black-eyed Susans or something like that just to grow,” he said. “They don’t need a lot of fertilizer. They don’t need necessarily wonderful soil.”

Fall is a great time to start wildflower patches, he said. If the soil is really rocky and dry, he suggested adding a bit of loam and compost “just to kind of get the soil so that it has a little more oomph to it, and also holds moisture a little better.”

“If it’s super dry, it’s going to be harder for those perennials to establish themselves,” he said. “Keeping the area from drying out until the plants establish is one of the best ways to ensure success.”

Expect the seeds to establish themselves in the fall, then really start growing the following spring.

I have an out of control Scottish Pine. Was here when we bought the house. Any tips on pruning? — Shawn from Saunderstown, RI

First: Hold off on pruning right now.

“I would not prune now unless necessary for passing by it or it is falling over,” Epstein said. “If you prune it now, there’s enough warm weather left that it’s going to start to put out new growth, and then that new growth may not necessarily be hardened off by the time it gets to winter.”

The best time is generally very early spring, around late February or early March, he said.

Wondering how much to trim? In the right season, it’s ok to cut back heavily, he said.

“Leave enough buds that are forming now if you’re going to prune it late winter, early spring so that it does have something to flesh out,” he said.