It is hard to believe that it is August already. June was a total loss as far as summer weather. July has been pleasantly cool, but enough sun for lovely days and lots of flowers.Now that August is here we will start seeing the flowers begin to wane, except for the roses and the hydrangeas. These hydrangeas are along the back side of our house and they are simply spectacular. We didn't plant them. They were here—one of the very few things the previous owners had planted. The colors range from pale blue to deep, deep purple. An amazing purple. A really unusual hydrangea color, it seems to me.
Even the leaves seem more colorful than ordinary, the way they shade from red to green. I know that the ph of the soil influences the color that hydrangeas will be, but I'm not sure how that works, or what these colors say about the soil. Regardless, they really sing to me.
I once made a hydrangea quilt. I had taken pictures of hydrangeas at the Portland Japanese Garden, which I used for reference. Then it was exhibited at the garden the next summer. My friend, Ginny, bought the quilt and it now hangs in her home. I loved the clear, clean , cool blue color of those hydrangeas. That was before I fell in love with the deep purple ones.
Fantastic colours! Our soil produces pink hydrangeas, which are nice, but your blues are amazing!
ReplyDeletemy favorite flowers too and ah yes love the purple ones, maybe you need to make another quilt using purple!
ReplyDeleteKathie
I contemplated making a hydrangea quilt for the purple and yellow theme. Hydrangeas are at once frumpy and delicate. I've heard them referred to as grandmother's bathing caps...
ReplyDeleteI never loved hydrangeas but am beginning to appreciate them in my old age. These are gorgeous!
ReplyDeleteI planted one in our front garden but it never produced any flowers. Not enough sun, I suppose.
Love them. Mine have bloomed and finished already so thanks for sharing yours.
ReplyDeleteMy first recollection of hydrangeas was in my Aunt's garden on Long Island. She worked very hard to get the different colors by adding things like iron nails to the soil. I don't think hydrangeas do well in California so I was happy to find them thriving on our property here in Portland. We have since planted 2 or 3 new varieties. I like them fresh and I like them dried.
ReplyDeleteI love them too. You are lucky to have those gorgeous deep purple ones! I love the quilt you made!
ReplyDeleteTo keep your hydrangeas blue, just add aluminum sulfate to the soil around them. Doing this influences the NEXT year's blooms. Our soil tends toward acid, and even hydrangeas that are bred to be blue will lighten and fade if the soil is too acid.
ReplyDeleteIf you have pinky ones now that you sorta remember being blue, just keep adding the aluminum sulfate. It'll take a couple of bloom seasons to bring back the blue color.
I love those deep purply blue ones too. :)
I've always thought of hydrangeas as an old-fashioned flower. My grandmother had them in upstate NY, and my mother loved them, too -- so much so that, after she died, two of my friends planted hydrangeas in their gardens in her memory.
ReplyDeleteMaybe another quilt with blues, pinks, and purples? I love the fact that they come back every year, bigger than ever, without fail! Perennials always get my vote.
ReplyDeleteOMG -- that is the most amazing purple I have ever seen. What is in your soil?
ReplyDeleteoh mine too.
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