Friday, May 20, 2011

Hydrangeas


The hydrangeas on my patio are in full bloom! I love their pom-pom blooms and light fragrance. To me, they're especially beautiful right after a light rain or sprinkling of the hose when their mop heads are slightly damp.





Each one of my hydrangeas are special to me because they mark a special time in my life. This one (above) was given to me by my Mother when I got engaged. Blue hydrangeas are my favorite flower and I used a lot of them in our wedding, so it was special to receive this from her. It makes me happy that it's lasted this long too! I hope to keep it alive for many years to come. ;)





Did you know that blue hydrangeas can range from light purple to dark blue depending on the acidity of the soil? The more acid {lower pH), the darker the color. Last year I would dump old coffee grounds on them and they were much darker and bluer. I'm enjoying the purple this year though!





This hydrangeas is also from my Mother and was given to me at Easter when we lived in our first apartment. I still have the dried blossoms that it produced that first year. {Thank you, Mom!}





This pretty pink variety was given to me by Matthew right before we moved from our 1st apartment. Moving is always a hard transition, but this little lady helped to soften the change.





Someday I'd love to have an entire hedge of pure hydrangeas in all varieties, but for now, I'm perfectly content with these beauties. ;) They bring gladness to my heart and remind me of The Gardener who does a much better job of taking care of them than I ever will.






Happy gardening to YOU!

Gail





4 comments:

Sassy Engineer said...

Hey Gail - it's Jess! I love your hdrangeas. So pretty! I'm trying to grow some, but I can't ever get them too bloom. Any suggestions? They are green and growing, but now blooms :( I told you, I really have to work at gardening!

Anonymous said...

Lovely!

Blessings,

Amy

Grace said...

Those are so beautiful!!! I want to start growing some of those when we move...but I'll have to get some tips from you on how to keep them alive. I don't think I was born with a naturally green thumb! Love you!

Blessings, Grace

Gail said...

Jessica,

I think mine took several years to really get going too. The best advice I can give you would be...don't ever prune them back but rather leave the "old wood", gangly as they may be during the winter. Thats what the plant's leaves will grow on the following year and ultimately bloom. If you already do that and still no success, I'd say make sure you fertilize periodically, water well (hydrangeas come from the root word hydrate), and keep in a sunny/partial shady spot. Okay....hope that helps!

Hugs,
Gail