Hydrangeas: Amazing Color for the Shade

I have to admit that I'm a diehard hydrangea fan.  Not because they're the easiest plant to grow but because I'm mesmerized by their fluffy ball of petals and their unique and intense colors...they really can be a show stopper.

If you live in the right location, they also can be a beautiful plant for the shade.  Their deep green foliage and intense shades of pink or blue captivate you quickly and make you look more than once. 

There are different varieties of hydrangeas and they look quite different from each other.  I'm going to be talking about the mophead/bigleaf (Hydrangea macrophylla) and lacecap varieties in this post although the oak leaf hydrangeas are gorgeous in a more understated way. 

There are two main colors in the mopheads and lace caps being the pinks and blues but I often see light purple flowers and different shades of blues on some bushes.  If the soil ph varies too much this can cause the flowers to change in shade although pink varieties will stay pink and blues won't necessarily turn pink.  That being said, it's best to buy the color hydrangea you would like and don't worry about changing the colors around by amending the soil.

Hydrangeas are not made for deep shade, but I've found that planted on the east side of our house, they do much better in the shaded areas.  They grow beautifully if they are in rich moist soil and I actually lost a few plants last summer because it was so hot and it was relatively dry.  My hydrangeas will often wilt during this kind of weather so I would water them as much as possible to keep them healthy.  

They also bloom in early summer for weeks at a time taking over the blooming from your spring bulbs and perennials.  They really fill in the gap for extended blooms in your perennial bed.

They also didn't put out leaves or bloom well during the last dry summer.  That means I'll need to put down extra mulch and be dilligent about watering the next time our summer is hot and dry.

A photo of one of my own hydrangeas in early bloom

They will do better in warm climates if planted on the north side of the house or at the edge of a woods.  Hydrangeas are not shy about letting you know if they aren't happy where they're planted.  Their drooping leaves and lack of blooms will let you know right away what they need.

I told you they can be fussy.  But in the right spot, in rich moist soil in indirect sun, they are a thing of beauty.  I snapped all these photos taken on one of my walks along the lakefront.  We have four bushes at home too. 

This lace cap variety had fertile flowers on the inside surrounded by large showy flowers on the outside.

What I also love about these mophead/lacecap hydrangeas is that they are only 4-6 feet tall and perfect as a landscaping plant.  It's one of the reasons I picked it to put in our front flower beds.

This is a neighbor's bush and I LOVE the blue color.  I have pink myself but the blues always draw me too.

I've even cut the flower heads off when they get close to being done blooming (the flowers begin to fade a bit) and just bring them inside in a vase (no water) and let them air dry.  You'll want to do this NOT on a humid day so the petals don't wilt.  You may want to try one flower and see how it drys to make sure you don't lose them all.  I would make a wreath completely out of the blooms...gorgeous!

If you haven't grown these beautiful plants before, you may just want to check them out and see how much they can brighten the loneliest spot in your garden!  Blessings!

Do you grow hydrangeas?  Which is your favorite color?



Check out this link for more info...
http://www.usna.usda.gov/Gardens/faqs/hydrangeafaq2.html 


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The Last of Spring's Blossoms

Our weather has been crazier than average over the last week especially.  Temperatures in the 80's even coming close to 90 degrees finalized all the blooming trees and some flowers before they were forced to succumb to the heat.  However, I happened to grab my camera before taking a quick walk around the neighborhood before this heat wave occurred.  So I was able to bring the blooming part of spring - minus the allergies - back again.   Not as beautiful as the real thing, but the pictures still speak 1000 words. :)

The whole tree is beautiful, but a single bloom is a work of art.

I really love the color blue in nature and these flowers were brilliant!

These blooms remind me of those tissue flowers we used to make as kids.

Wild violets are one of those things that make you look twice...gorgeous little creatures.

I had to take a picture of the amazing pink buds of this white rhododendron.

The opened flower buds fade into white.

Happy Spring to you all!  Blessings!

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All Things New

Forsythia

Spring is in full swing and thought I'd take some photos of some of the amazing life that is popping up around me.

First up is some gorgeous forsythia I managed to snap a photo of while on a neighborhood walk.  It blooms first and then the leaves come out later.  These are just about done blooming so I'm glad I was able to capture the intensity of the yellow flowers.  My camera battery was dead and I didn't think I was able to capture this shot.  But, somehow the picture took before the  camera shut off...yeah!

The birthing of chives

I actually got this picture a few weeks ago during that amazing warm spell we had.  I've already been able to use some of these chives on a couple of baked potatoes.  I'm looking forward to using more of them and making some chive blossom vinegar from their flowers...that'll be a later blog.

When you harvest your chives, make sure to cut from the bottom of the plant to get the whole chive.  Otherwise, they'll just be dead halfway up.  The chives will quickly put out new leaves from the area you have cut from.  

I have had these chives in a large pot by my side door for years now.  They do wonderfully in containers and I've actually re-potted them several times.  I put them in a pot right outside my side door because my other ones were planted a little further away and I was always too lazy to go get them.  Having them only a few steps away encourages my frequent use of them.

Blue Balsam Peppermint

Hands down, this Blue Balsam Peppermint variety is by far the best tasting peppermint out there.  I grabbed some starts from my sister-in-law's herb garden four hours away from here about six years ago.  Mints are some of the easiest plants to start.  I simply cut a few good sections of the stem making sure it had some root hairs coming out of it. Since I was visiting so far away, before I left, I wrapped the stems in very damp paper towels and put them in a baggie.  Five hours later, I simply placed them in water when I got home and planted in loose soil once they had rooted some more.  Wha-la!  Peppermint plants!  Not only a great plant but also a great memory of my sister-in-law and of the graduation party that day.  

This peppermint makes the world's best cup of tea and I never seem to have enough during the winter time, where it's super refreshing flavor is a wonder and comfort, especially if I or my family is suffering from a stuffy nose.  

Hope you enjoyed the photos.  On this Good Friday,  hope you're able to discover and enjoy some of the mystery and wonders of the things being birthed around you...Happy Easter to all!