Friday, May 21, 2010

Patience is a Virtue, or Hurray for Hydrangea Blooms!

Remember a previous post when I was anticipating my hydrangea blooms?
The wait is over!


The bushes are now a riot of pink and blue blooms!

The soil in my area is naturally alkaline.  In order for the blooms to be more blue than pink, I have to amend the soil with aluminum sulfate.
My hydrangea bushes are located near the corner of our house where a downspout is also located. 
With recent rains, it seems that much of the aluminum sulfate was washed away.  Hence, I have pink and blue blooms on one bush, and even a few blooms that are half pink and half blue. 
That's perfectly fine with me. 
I have never met a hydrangea bloom that I did not love!


If pressed to declare one particular color my favorite,
it would be the deep periwinkle blue.


Coming in a very, very close second
are the pink blooms when they still have a hint of that bright green.


The colors evolve over time, and I never tire of watching them.

It amazes, and also amuses, me how each bloom is composed of many individual blossoms.
Maybe a lesson we should all take to heart --  many coming together, even when not of the same color, to work together and create something beautiful, magical and memorable.

One drawback to my hydrangea bushes is the blooms never seem to last long enough.  
That may all be about to change!
The bloom in the photograph above is my newest hydrangea, and one that supposedly will
continue blooming through the summer.
Its blooms are a little different from my beloved mop heads, but lovely still.


In the meantime, I will savor the days of these blooms!


9 comments:

Tammy@Simple Southern Happiness said...

Simply breathtaking...Sigh... I love how you have so many colors. I understand you get different colors by how you treat the soil... you do have a green thumb.

Smocking with Gwen said...

Hi Jan,
Glad to find someone that "knows" hydrangeas! The Georgia clay is so horrible that I'm thinking "amendment" has to become a huge part of my gardening technique. Doesn't help that the recent drought has taken it's toll on everything. Strange how after a a much colder winter, everything else is really blooming. I bought a couple "Ever and After" hydrangeas and hope I can find a "happy" spot for them. Yours are beautful!
Gwen

Rettabug said...

What a lovely riot of colors you lucked out with, Jan...so much prettier than just one shade! Serendipity me thinks!

♥ your ferns & geraniums in the next post, too!
Funny that I posted a smoothie that resembles your shake just yesterday.
Thanks for the tip about the peach ones. I hope I find one before they're all gone.

Have a Blessed Sunday, Hon.
fondly,
Rett

Unknown said...

My GOODNESS! Those are beautiful! By the time the hydrangeas bloom here in my yard, I will be moved to another home and will miss seeing them....I will probably need to plant some new ones in my new yard - I like rhododendron and azaleas, but they are not the same as hydrangeas :-) Thanks for sharing!

Lois said...

Jan, just beautiful! Soooooo many colors!

Marmycakes said...

Just beautiful! I love hydrangeas.

Brynwood Needleworks said...

Hi Jan:
Your hydrangeas are fabulous! I wish I had a green thumb, as I'd love to have some growing in our yard. I'll just have to be content to visit yours.

Thanks always for visiting Brynwood and leaving your sweet comments, my friend.

xoxo
Donna

Beedeebabee said...

OMG, these flowers are soooo gorgeous! Mine are always blue, but I just love your pink ones...I'm going to have to do some amending! xo

Martha said...

Breathtaking. I am afraid of hydrangeas. I love them, but don't want sad examples next to my front door. Which is what I am afraid I will end up with. Gorgeous. Love all the colors.

Related Posts with Thumbnails