After a long, cold winter in our Zone 6A garden, the first signs of life emerging from our roses and hydrangeas signal it's time for an important spring task—fertilizing. Proper spring feeding sets the stage for healthy growth and abundant blooms throughout the season. Today, we're sharing our approach to feeding these garden favorites to encourage their best performance.

Timing Is Everything: When to Fertilize

How do you know when it's the right time to fertilize? Look to your plants for signals. We wait until we see definite signs of awakening before adding nutrients. For our roses and hydrangeas, this means:

• Visible bud swelling on the stems
• New green growth beginning to emerge
• Signs that the plant is actively growing, not still dormant

In our upstate New York garden, this typically happens in mid-to-late spring after the soil has warmed sufficiently. This year, despite an unusually cold winter and chilly spring, our plants are showing us they're ready for their first feeding.

Choosing the Right Fertilizer

While we don't use exclusively organic products for all garden applications, we do prefer organic fertilizers for our spring feeding of in-ground plants. Here's why:

Benefits of Organic Fertilizers for Spring Feeding:

1. Slow, steady release: Organic fertilizers break down gradually, providing nutrients over time rather than in one overwhelming dose.
2. Soil improvement: They feed the soil ecosystem as well as the plants, improving soil structure and microbial activity.
3. Lower risk: It's nearly impossible to "burn" plants with organic fertilizers, making them a safer choice, especially for spring applications.
4. Environmental benefits: They're derived from natural sources and work with the soil's natural processes.

For our spring feeding, we use Coast of Maine Stonington Blend organic plant food (5-2-4 NPK), which contains:

• Lobster and crab meal
• Kelp
• Worm castings
• Other marine-derived ingredients

This balanced formulation provides all the nutrients our roses and hydrangeas need without pushing excessive growth that could be susceptible to disease or pest problems.

Our Application Method

Rather than applying the fertilizer directly, we prefer to mix it with a high-quality planting medium. For this application, we combine:

• Coast of Maine Roses and Flower Soil (a specialized planting mix containing composted manure, peat moss, and aged bark)
• Stonington Blend organic fertilizer at a rate of 3 cups (1 pound) per cubic foot of soil

This mixture creates an enriched top-dressing that:

• Delivers nutrients gradually as rain percolates through the layer
• Adds organic matter to the soil surface
• Helps suppress weeds
• Maintains soil moisture

We mix these components thoroughly in a garden cart before application, ensuring even distribution of the fertilizer throughout the soil.

Understanding the Drip Line: Where to Apply Fertilizer

One of the most important aspects of effective fertilizing is knowing where to apply your nutrients. Many gardeners mistakenly concentrate fertilizer right at the base of plants, but this isn't where most active feeding roots are located.

What Is the Drip Line?

The drip line is the area beneath the outermost circumference of the plant's foliage—essentially where water would drip off the leaves during rain. This zone is where most of the active, nutrient-absorbing roots are located.

The drip line varies depending on:

• The plant's age and establishment
• Its size and growth habit
• How recently it was planted

Application Guidelines by Plant Age:

For newly planted roses and hydrangeas (planted within the past year):

• The drip line will be relatively close to the stem/trunk
• Apply fertilizer in a narrow ring around the plant, staying a few inches away from the crown or base
• A single scoop of our soil/fertilizer mix is sufficient

For established plants (2+ years in the ground):

• The drip line extends much further from the plant's center
• Apply fertilizer in a wider ring that corresponds to the outer edge of the foliage spread
• More established plants (especially roses) may receive two scoops of the mixture

For mature specimens:

• Very established plants like our Quick Fire hydrangea have an extensive drip line
• The fertilizer should be applied in a wide circle, sometimes extending several feet from the trunk
• Avoid placing fertilizer directly against the base of the plant

Special Considerations for Different Varieties

Different types of roses and hydrangeas have varying nutritional needs and growth habits that affect how we fertilize them:

Hydrangea Types:

Smooth Hydrangeas (Hydrangea arborescens) like Invincibelle Spirit II and Mini Mauvette:

• Heavy feeders that benefit from spring fertilization
• Not pH-sensitive, so they'll maintain their pink/mauve color regardless of soil pH
• Our established Invincibelle Spirit II hedge gets fertilizer applied along its entire drip line

Panicle Hydrangeas (Hydrangea paniculata) like Firelight Tidbit and Pinky Winky:

• Benefit from spring feeding, especially smaller or newly planted specimens
• Very established plants in suitable locations may need less supplemental feeding
• Our smaller Firelight Tidbit plants that struggled last year get a full dose to encourage stronger growth

Big Leaf and Mountain Hydrangeas (Hydrangea macrophylla and Hydrangea serrata):

• May require pH adjustment if specific bloom colors are desired
• We skip fertilizing the Let's Dance Lovable varieties under plant protectors, as we don't want to encourage premature growth
• Our Tough Stuff mountain hydrangeas receive a generous application as they're heavy bloomers

Oak Leaf Hydrangeas (Hydrangea quercifolia):

• More drought-tolerant once established but still benefit from spring feeding
• Apply fertilizer in a wide ring corresponding to their substantial drip line

Rose Types:

English Shrub Roses like Lark Ascending, Crown Princess Margaretta, and Lady of Shalott:

• Heavy feeders that benefit from generous spring feeding
• Apply fertilizer around their cages (which protect against rabbits), corresponding to the drip line
• Established specimens may receive two scoops of the fertilizer mix

Landscape Roses:

• Generally less demanding than English roses but still perform better with some supplemental feeding
• Our seven landscape roses receive a half-scoop each, as they're reliable bloomers even with minimal care

What About Plants in Challenging Conditions?

Not every plant in our garden receives the same treatment:

• Our Pinky Winky hydrangea grows in a naturally moist, almost boggy area, so it doesn't receive additional fertilizer
• Plants that have underperformed despite proper care (like our Seaside Serenade hydrangeas) might be skipped during fertilizing to save resources for more promising specimens
• Heavily mulched areas may need fertilizer applied on top of the mulch, where it will work its way down with rain

Environmental Considerations

Timing our fertilizer application with expected rainfall is not only convenient but environmentally responsible. The gentle, consistent moisture from rain helps:

• Work the nutrients gradually into the soil
• Reduce runoff potential
• Eliminate the need for additional watering

If rain isn't in the forecast, water the area lightly after application to begin the nutrient release process.

Final Thoughts: The Joy of Spring Garden Care

Beyond the practical benefits, spring fertilizing offers an opportunity to reconnect with each plant in your garden after winter's separation. As we moved through our garden applying fertilizer, we:

• Observed new growth and assessed winter survival
• Removed built-up leaves and debris
• Checked protective cages for effectiveness
• Adjusted our seasonal care plans based on each plant's condition

With over 200 hydrangeas and 80 roses in our garden, this spring feeding is no small undertaking! But the investment of time now will reward us with months of beautiful blooms and healthy growth.

What spring feeding regimen do you follow for your garden favorites? Have you found certain fertilizers that perform particularly well in your growing conditions? We'd love to hear about your experiences!

Thanks for growing with us!