Do you remember the lovely mophead hydrangea that a friend bought us as a summerhouse warming gift?
It has been really beautiful but surprisingly it isn't the flowers that are the most attractive part of the plant. The tiny four petalled flowers sit in the centre of a ring of larger bracts and are fairly insignificant.
The bracts are modified leaves and it is they that actually provide the colourful display.
You may remember that, last year, I bought another type of hydrangea to plant in my white and blue border. I wanted hydrangea quercifolia which luckily a local nursery managed to source for me. (Sadly for us this nursery is closing at the end of September as the owners are retiring. With few 'real' nurseries remaining they will be very much missed).
Hydrangea quercifolia has pointed oak-like shaped leaves ...
and white flowers.
I'm really pleased with how this plant is growing as I didn't expect it to flower in its first year but it has produced plenty of clusters of 'flower' heads although the rain has spattered the bracts spoiling them a little.
The leaves of quercifolia should have good autumn colour but last year the leaves stayed green so I'm looking forward to seeing what happens next winter.
PS - Only two more days left to enter the sudoku competition. Can you believe that it is almost August!!!
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Now that is one plant i do not have. May be time for a change.
ReplyDeleteThe leaves of the one in the pot are attractive too awpol
DeleteHydrangeas don't do very well in my garden usually - but I love the lace cap type.
ReplyDeleteYes I like those too Elaine.
DeleteHydrangeas remind me of my Granny! She always used to bury old nails in the soil near them, in order to enhance their colour. I seem to remember than the iron nails made the flowers a deep red colour...
ReplyDeleteYes the flowers change colour a bit like litmus paper, Mark. I think aluminium gives a more blue color and adding lime can make the colour more pinkish. White flowers stay white though.
DeleteI love those close up pictures of the pink hydrangea - so pretty!
ReplyDeleteI has been a lovely plant Kelli but is starting to go over now.
DeleteThose pink flower is really beautiful! Mine is in the pot. Never see them flowering for the past 1 year....sigh.....
ReplyDeleteDo you cut back the stems Malr as if so you could be cutting off the flower buds.
DeleteWell both Hydrangeas are very pretty....nearly August...I can't believe how quickly the year has passed!!
ReplyDeleteI know Tanya in one ways its come up quickly but spring seems ages ago!
DeleteHmmm...you are tempting me to try growing Hydrangeas.
ReplyDeleteOh congratulation I just realised you have 200 followers now :).
I did have 201 this morning Diana, but someone has dumped me. They must have decided that I wasn't worth reading after all - sniff sniff.
DeleteIt's funny how much it bothers me when the number of followers goes down. I start to think what did I do to turn them off?
Ouch - what did I say? - Another follower has dumped me and I'm back to 199.
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