Wednesday, May 16, 2012

Blue Hydrangeas, my big garden love........



This week the garden is bright and cheery following some heavy rainstorms and cooler temperatures, especially at night. I love sleeping with the windows open now the choking yellow pollen is long gone, listening to the rain splash on the leaves of the hickory tree, and then hearing the birdsong of a fresh early morning.......just like this one.


The Moonflower and Morning Glory seeds I planted in the large pot are already growing and soon will be twirling up the fishing line.




Note the blue hydrangeas are coming into bloom. Last year I was so disappointed when hardly any flowers appeared. This was due to a severe pruning the previous year to allow for painting the exterior of the house......I had to cut those two gigantic shrubs back almost to the ground, a painful thing I assure you.


This year they are back with huge blue blossoms - I've even cut some to bring inside while they're so pretty.

These are the Endless Summer variety. If you prefer pink or white they are also available at the garden center. I planted the two in front of the porch several years ago. They bloom right through until Autumn and give me ample blooms for drying later to use in wreaths and plop into vases and baskets around the house. When dried, the mix of dusty green, blue, sometimes even lavender, is beautiful. You can see some in my current blog banner above.


Once a small plant is comfy in your garden spot, part shade is best although mine are in full sun much of the day, they grow to huge bushes laden with blooms within a few years. They do enjoy a good drink, water being their beverage of choice! When the Summer days turn hot and humid here in the south I find myself watering them almost daily as they start to droop by mid afternoon. They are 'clean plants', my verbiage for shrubs and plants which never seem to have creepy crawlies who munch on leaves, or get disfiguring diseases such as yellow spot. They always look pristine from top to toe...........yes, can't you tell, I love, love hydrangeas.

I just popped outside in my P.J.'s with the camera.......here are the shrubs this morning after another rainy night.


Do you grow this shrub in your garden?
Share your lovely hydrangea stories please.


24 comments:

  1. Mary, Mary you garden grows beautifully! How I wish we could grow big beautiful hydrangeas here. Thanks for sharing yours with all of us. Wish I were sitting on that front porch enjoying a cup of tea with you, dear friend.
    Hope you have a splendid week! ~ Sarah

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  2. What lovely hydrangeas! I have most things in my tiny garden, but alas, not hydrangeas. Yours are gorgeous. I love your blog banner, and your little birdies welcoming one into the garden,
    Hugs
    Jacqui

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  3. I have been wondering how this Endless Summer hydrangea would do in our zone. I guess it is available but I haven't checked out the garden centers to see if they have them. I would love to have one. I do have an old Peegee (I think) that is now a huge tree and I love it. I always dry bouquets in the fall. The leaves are just starting to show this week. Yes, that's how far behind we are up here. LOL We have had so much rain but the holiday weekend coming up is looking quite nice. I hope! Hugs, Pamela

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  4. Your garden looks beautiful! I love hydrangeas. Mine are white and every year they can be counted on to enrich my garden.

    xo
    Claudia

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  5. I love hydrangeas and have never grown them. I think it is because I knew we would be selling each home within a few years and would not have time to really enjoy them. I plan on planting tons of them when we settle in our forever home - where ever that may be :-).

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  6. Hardly anything makes me happier than listening to rain fall during the night and early morning hours .. I smile just thinking about it! Hydrangeas are flowers I've never tried to grow ... I'm out here in the 'cold zone' and need to do my research. The most exotic flower I ever had success with was a huge gardenia bush in the Orlando area. Thank you so much for the hair compliment. It wasn't an easy decision, going au natural. If I had your beautiful red hair, I would probably hang onto it! No matter the upkeep. It's your signature ... that and the scarfs you wind around your neck ... and the camera you always seem to have at the ready!

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  7. What luxury - lovely bouquets of fresh blooms! Your garden is heavenly.

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  8. I love hydrangeas and every spring I tell myself I am going to plant a few, as well as lilacs, and then time gets away from me. I love how they make such beautiful indoor blooms for you! And I am really loving your foxglove!

    XO,
    Jane

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  9. But i wanted to see the picture of you in your PJ's Mar.!!!

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  10. I have two white climbing hydrangea which cover an arbor in my garden, however, the warm weather we had in March produced some earlier than normal flower buds, which were killed off with a heavy frost in April, no flowers this year. Enjoying your lovely blue hydrangea instead.
    Patricia

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  11. Mary, your garden is just fabulous!! Those hydrangeas are just gorgeous!! My daughter made me a cake this weekend for Mother's Day and she made beautiful blue hydrangeas out of baker's gum paste. They all looked so really-just beautiful!!

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  12. Cottage gardening 101. Your picture at the front door is beautiful. My only hydrangea is in a pot by my back door. It is going into a garden I've only created in my mind. It's on my "to do" list. Thanks for sharing your garden.

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  13. Oh my, what a gorgeous border, overflowing with THE most beautiful blooms! Yes Mary, I too have hydrangeas, one climbing white lace cap on the garage, one pink one in a shady border that came from my Moms last home, and lastly, my dear brother and SIL bought me a mini pink one yet to be planted up in a pot.
    Thank you for your lovely comments :o) As for uploading a video..I found it very frustrating, but that could just be me!
    Take care,
    Rose H
    xx

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  14. Heavenly hydrangeas! Thank you for such lovely pictures.

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  15. I love hydrangeas, and the blue ones are my favourites. When we moved to this home 10 years ago, I received a self-rooted hydrangea from the mother of a friend of mine, planted it, and have watched it flourish ever since. Just this spring, while mulching, I discovered two more small plants underneath and moved them to other spots in my yard. I wouldn't mind having hydrangeas EVERYWHERE!

    Our plants are just beginning to form flower heads, tiny tightly closed buds with much promise! While waiting, I'll enjoy your full blooms.

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  16. I was also going to mention that they are wonderfully UN-buggy bushes, except that I do find a few snail/slug shells on them from time to time. But they don't seem to suffer any damage.

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  17. Your garden is wonderful Mary! Those hydrangeas, love them!!! I am glad that we have a chance also in Finland to plant some Hydrangeas, there is some Hydrangeas which survive from winter, but the same kind of Hydrangeas which you have need to be cut after winter, but they will produce new shoots and flowers. I am planning to purchase pots of them, when i am able to travel with a car.

    love!

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  18. I loved reading this post and getting glimpses of your gorgeous garden!! I appreciate your p.j. picture taking for the cause :).
    I live near Charlotte, NC and our hydrangeas are beginning to bloom too. I think at last count I have 15 bushes in my yard. The blue is my favorite and I have also recently become a fan of the Limelight variety. I hope to get a hydrangea post up tomorrow.
    I'm intrigued by the way you are growing your moonflower and morning glories up the fishing line. I have both of those flowers started in pots on my patio. Had never thought to grow them up fishing line. Do they stop once they reach the wood railing or keep on growing? Very interesting idea.

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  19. I do love my hydrangea, and it is huge and quite prolific this year. I've got some in a white pitcher, too.♥

    Your yard looks so pretty, Mary.

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  20. I didn't get on the computer much this past week because I have been having problems...only some of the pictures on someone's blog will upload! So, I can't see everything in the posts I am looking at! I can only see two of these photos, and though they are wonderful (and oh I do love blue hydrangeas!) I will have to ask for some patience in responding to your more recent posts. Hopefully I will get rid of this problem! Loved your comments on my blog....let me know if you ever head to AZ!

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  21. Love hydrangeas. I have a spot picked out to plant several after we paint our house. I had one beautiful white plant by my kitchen sink all winter. The house next door was empty for 2 years, so I would pick the blue hydrangeas there. I still have a bouquet that dried in my bedroom from last fall. Oh dear, now I have neighbors there. Do you think they will notice if I sneak over at night and pick a bouquet?

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  22. Lovely photos Mary, I love the one of the hydrangeas in the white jug with your dough bowl. I have a big hydrangea at our house in Lancashire but none here and sadly no room to put one- seeing yours makes me wish I could find a space.

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  23. Such a beautiful garden! (Kim sent me over.) I think that the idea of having Moonflowers growing along with Morning Glories is an inspired idea. I hope that one day, either Kim who is copying you or you will show them in all their glory! The hydrangeas are glorious!

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