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Saturday, May 26, 2012

I'm in love with hydrangea's


So when we moved here last year the PeeGee Hydrangea bushes were huge and in full bloom.  They had been given acid so were very blue. When they are in alkaline soil they are pink.   I have always liked them but never had any, therefore I did not realize that they bloom forever and when the blossoms are picked and brought in the house they will look fresh for weeks.  My kind of flowers.  The bushes are just starting to bloom now and I can't wait until they are covered with blossoms.  There are many different varieties of hydrangea's.  I came across my first climbing hydrangea at Sonnenberg Gardens in New York State.  This garden was an estate in the 1800's with a huge mansion and a variety of gardens.  The rock garden has a walk up lookout made of stones and the stem of the climbing hydrangea is the rail on the top of the stone wall.  The rest of the hydrangea covered the structure where it was in full bloom and permeated the air with its sweet scent.  The stem was at least 4 inches in diameter and must have been a hundred years old.  My gardening mind was already making plans for where I would be planting my climbing hydrangea.  I did find one to plant that year but we moved in two years so I didn't get to see it "climbing".  I planted another one at our new house and we moved the next spring.  I dug it up and brought it with us this time.  I am determined to have one climbing over my front porch.  I have read that is takes a couple of years for them to get established before they start to take off.  I am praying that we will be here to see it in all its glory.

Japanese Hydrangea

On a recent trip to the local greenhouse, I was admiring their hydrangeas and had a wonderful conversation with the owner who told me about a Japanese type of hydrangea that is a climber that matures faster.  So now I have two climbers that I am babying just knowing that by next year they will cover the building they are planted next to.............well maybe I am dreaming.

Climbing Hydrangea I brought with me

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