Hydrangeas

[Ann B.]

I didn't think I would have very many hydrangeas bloom this year. They were beat to shreads last year, and not just once.

Gotta tell ya, they are survivors!

[Ann B.]

Also, gotta tell ya...

Some of those leaves are Bungeii - Stinky weed which is desparately in need of pulling. What a shame that the blooms are so pretty, but this plant is so invasive. Look for the purple in the stem and the larger, rounder leaves and you will spot them.

[sue salley]

Ann, I have worked hard on my blue hydrangea this spring. Pruned it nicely,been feeding it Mir-acid and dang if I didn't run over it the other day trying to get the truck situated to empty the mulch! Looks like I just broke one or 2 branches and the rest has returned to its original shape.
Last year the blooms were a very pale blue which was absolutely beautiful but this year will be bluer due to the acid, I hope anyway.
I wish my truck had power steering! I guess I'll have to carry the next load of mulch as I can't get any closer to the rest of the big bed. Oh my aching back (legs and arms).LOL
This week I am going to start on the shade garden (now known as honeysuckle heaven).

[Ann B.]

Sue,

The old fashioned kind that are grown down here are easy to root. Some people even root them in water.

They get huge, but the blooms grow on last years growth. I think it is the same with this one which was once pink and a marked down florist hydrangea (no other name). Slowly, but surely, they have turned more blue every year.

Some of the newer varieites bloom on new growth (like endless summer).

Like azaleas, they grow huge here. My neighbor pruned her huge one drastically last year. This year it is covered with blooms.

[Dazed_Lily]

I have no idea what the name of this one is. It is a Church Easter rescue from 1 or 2 years ago. It doesn't look its best as it was moved last fall and is still living in a plastic bag under a tree. Is this color unusual or do I just not 'get out much' ?

[sue salley]

Ann, My bush has really gotten large this year (until I ran over it). They are very easy to start and I want to start some of my blue one and Mom's white one. Hers grows down by the ditch and gets no care but it is hugh!
Cathy, I like the bright pink. They come in all colors and forms now. I saw the prettiest one on TV in the White House Rose Garden yesterday when "W" was giving a speech. Reckon he'd send me some cuttings? LOL

[Ann B.]

After all these years, the bush is not getting bigger, but it blooms every year consistantly, so who could ask more.

They are not the typical blue, but more of a lavender/purple and some more pinkish. Needless to say, I enjoy them no matter what color they. The foliage is so pretty as well.

[abbyjen]

You definitely have no complaints there Ann

The blooms are absolutely beautiful :blinking with heart

[Ann B.]

This afternoon, when I was checking my school mail box, I saw a note that reminded me to get my flowers. I turned around and the secretary was grinning from ear to ear. Yep! She had remembered that I had admired her bouquet of blue lacecap hydrandreas and wanted to remind me to take them home for cuttings today.

I don't know if it will work, but I am definitely going to try to root them. Lacecaps are so very delicate and pretty...

Wish me luck!

[Rowan]

I have a question for all of you experts out there--I really love the blue hydrangeas (don't have room to grow them, however). I have been told two stories about their coloring, and both came from nursery people! One told me if the acid in the soil is not balanced correctly, the blues will turn pink. Another told me that that isn't true. I've heard the first more than the second, but would like to find out the truth, as I was considering getting one for someone as a gift.:confused:

[Ann B.]

It depends on the variety. Most of the common varieties are blue here because of the acidity of our soils.

However, there are newer varieties that are pink and tend to stay pink for awhile, then turn purple and I suppose eventually blue.

There is one called Nikko Blue, I think. Since my soil is VERY acidic and the rain is acidic, I couldn't tell you whether alkaline soil would make a blue hydrangea turn pink.

There is one called 'Endless Summer'. The cluster of blooms is smaller and the petals themself are tiny compared to the regular ones. This one is more popular in northern regions because it blooms on new wood which means it can die down to the ground (herbaceous) and still bloom.

The typical, passalong one in the south is deciduos and blooms on old wood, meaning last years growth, so even if it did survive the colder winter temps, it would not bloom because last year's stems would not survive.

There is the oak leaf hydrangea which I adore. It has white blooms. A few years ago, I purchased one marked down to $2, but it didn't make it.

Most say that they need to grow in partial sun, but here, they grow in full sun, just like azaleas because the humidity is so high as well as the rainfall in the heat of the summer.

Hydrangeas have a whole world of their own. Some are similar, but many are unique. I have a variegated one that I adore. It is lace capped and light blue with some pink tinge since it is planted next to the cement slab of my home.

So, everyone is telling you the truth, based on what they know. They simply do not know all, and I certainly do not profess to knowing anything except what I have experienced.

[Rowan]

Thank you, Ann!!

[Great-Full]

OMGoodness, :rolleyes: have you chosen to ask this question on the wrong day !
Tomorrow is our yearly Hydrangea sale. This morning we met nursery trucks at a local park to unload 500+ assorted variety hydrangeas which we prepared for tomorrow's stampede of anxious buyers. They start lining up by 8:30, ribbons will be cut at 9 signifying the start of the sale and we're usually sold out by 10-10:30. It's a great fundraiser for a huge park, renuvated and rejuvenated by a host of Master Gardeners who didn't want to see the historic landmark continue to degrade. . This year THEY ARE ABSOLUTELY GORGEOUS --- each and every one. So...is there a particular size, growth habit, color you were trying to hold on to? Do you know what is available in your area? As Ann said, 'Endless Summer's a good registered variety. There are 2 which have the exact same genetic makeup which go by other names, in case you don't find ES locally.

[lbfoss]

I was inspired by the hydrangea discussions about 3 years ago and i took some cuttings from a blue H in a park. I had two successes, and they bloomed pink in their first Miracle grow rooting pots. I gave one to my daughter (but it died) and the other lives by my fireplace. She bloomed blue last year and I don't know what she will bloom this year, ours are quite behind all of you so far. I have growth, but no buds even.

anticipation is such fun!!
I retired yesterday, I get to garden today and forever!!!!

Yayyyy!
Linda

[Ann B.]

We had four teachers retire yesterday, and it was a 'teary' event....

Congratulatons! I only wish I could retire, but even if I did, I would still work, so go figure...

Have FUN and ENJOY!

[Great-Full]

6012Congratulations Linda ... may you forever have soil on your knees 6011