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I think all houses in the south should have at least one hydrangea in the yard. When I first moved into the house, there was one in the back yard. Like most of the plants back there, the placement seemed pretty random. I was just glad to see a beautiful blue cluster of flowers. Unfortunately, due to either neglect or the ivy ground cover that exists back there, the hydrangea appears to be dead (or so it seems; I haven’t seen the flowering since that first year and I can’t even remember where it was).
But, the house isn’t hydrangea-free. Last year, I planted another in a shady spot in the front yard while moving a lot of the other plants around and trimming back the camellia bushes (which I now have to do again… the one downside to healthy plants!). I thought it might take a couple of seasons to grow and bloom, especially when my neighbor left nothing but a small stalk when he cleared the front yard (considering that he is a professional landscaper, I was pretty annoyed that he just responded “Oh, well then it must have been dead” when I explained that I’d just planted it in the front yard and he hacked it down). I was going to consider myself lucky if the plant survived at all.
So, imagine my surprise when I spotted this little guy in the yard this morning:
Success! I am so thrilled that my thumb is getting greener. I suppose it could simply be a law of averages; plant enough flowers, and some of them will grow.
I love Hydrangeas. Their so pretty and colorful. I planted one in the front flower beds of our house and it….. didn’t last. I totally agree that every home in the South should have one, it’s almost like the ‘National Plant of the South’… unfortunately I think the Southern heat did mine in :(
The trick for mine was to put it in a spot where it basically ONLY gets shade. It really seems to hate the sun. It stayed healthy (despite the cut down) and survived the winter. I can’t wait to see it grow even bigger next year!
love hydrangeas … have three myself in my hudson valley garden (i was born and raised in south louisiana).
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Thanks for the tip! Trying it out this morning, and it’s awesome!