Friday, January 15, 2010

My own piece of hydrangea heaven

In 1975, I was given a gift of a blue hydrangea. It was love at first sight. As I explored the genus, my passion grew. A few years later, I learned I was not alone; many gardeners share my addiction. By 1994, I was convinced that the world's perfect shrub deserved a plant society to celebrate and explore its versatility.

Penny McHenry · 1925-2006
Founder of the American Hydrangea Society

It is with deep respect and humility that I report my recent inheritance of an adolescent hydrangea shrub. It belonged to my mother-in-law, who has tended it carefully for at least a decade.

Hydrangea shrub

Nevermind all that overgrown Bermuda grass. The summer blooms that grow on this plant are stunning!

I'll admit that this isn't my first hydrangea. I've purchased several small ones over the past 20 years, but promptly killed them.

Pink hydrangea bloom - www.ColorChoicePlants.com

And from what I've been told, I ended up with this precious hand-me-down ... because no one else wanted it?

3 comments:

  1. Carla: As president of the American Hydrangea Society, I invite you to join us. As I don't know your full name, I can't check to see if you are already a member.
    Quoting our beloved founder, Penny McHenry, was marvelous. Can we use your blog post in our newsletter? I don't know the technology of transferring it to print, but if you are willing, I think it would be fun. Please contact me at pearlworks@hotmail.com. Thanks for bringing our wonderful plant, hydrangea, to your readers. And if you want tips on how to keep it alive, please feel free to contact me about that too.
    Sandy Jones, President
    American Hydrangea Society

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  2. A member of the American Hydrangea Society — what an excellent idea! My membership form is on itw way.

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  3. Anonymous11:08 AM

    All the ones around here in Country Place seem to be of the blue variety. Is that the different soil doing that?

    ReplyDelete

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