Sunday, June 06, 2010

Blue Hydrangeas

My cousin Mary, posted a photo of her hydrangea that bloomed, finally after 3 or 4 years. Mary planted the hydrangea after it was given to Allie at Aunt Marion’s funeral. That started a series of posts about our memories of hydrangeas. My childhood home had blue hydrangeas along one side of the house. Mary remembered those blooms. Allie remembered her Meme’s neighbor that had the beautiful blue blossoms every year. Sadly, whoever now owns that house that Allie and Kim picked hydrangea from, cut them all down to the ground. No hydrangeas bloom at that house on Baseline Road this year.


I know that because my drive to work is highlighted by the various landscapes that I keep watch on, and have for the 20 plus years we have lived out here. Truthfully, the drive down Chicot doesn’t really take me by any fantastic homes or gardens, but I have to take what pleasure I can from the sporadic garden attempt of my neighbors.

One of the first plants I planted at this house were my blue hydrangeas. They bloom this time of year. They are a pale blue at first, by the time June arrives, they will reach a deeper blue. Every year, the blooms take me back to my childhood.

Our hydrangeas were on the side of the house, probably the north side. It was the shady, cool spot between our house and the next door neighbors’ house. We didn’t have a “garden spot” by the hydrangeas, there wasn’t a bench to sit at, but somehow, I must have spent a lot of time looking at them.

Hydrangeas are really easy to grow and propagate. Out of the original 6 or so plants I bought from a mail order catalog, I have gotten “babies” from them and started so many more. Really more that I want. As much as I love them, they are not really very pretty when they are not in bloom. Even still, the front of my house is lined with blue hydrangeas, which faces north. I transplanted the 1st two babies on the east side of the house. The next bunch of babies I found at the base of the plants, I moved out to the pole barn. Then I moved two more babies to the other side of the front walk. I want to name our place, “Hydrangea Heaven”! I actually saw that in a magazine.

When I have started a baby plant, they usually bloom pink the first few years. I prefer the blue, what could be prettier? I have shared the baby plants with friends and family. I love thinking about some of the plants blooming for someone else.


Soon, I will post about the 4'oclocks, they are about to bloom soon!

5 comments:

Andrea said...

I noticed the two pink hydrangeas, will they turn blue in a couple of years? I am hoping mine will bloom eventually!

Kay said...

I love hydrangaes too. You gave me my first hydranga baby and now I have 3 blues and one pink in full bloom. Thank you Donna, they are beautiful.

Donna said...

Andrea, the pink may turn blue, all of my other ones have.
Kay, did you start your own babies from the first?

ANNABELLE said...

Love my hydrangaes! I have pink, blue & purples. Not sure how the purples ones turn that color, but they are all beautiful right now. Donna you gave me one baby a few years ago. Thanks, they do bring back memories of our childhood.

Randi said...

Lovely! I have been wanting to plant a hydrangea in the front of our house. I always think of my great grandmother when I see them. She had some very unusual multicolored varieties all around her home. She claimed it was because she mulched them with the ashes from her wood stove.