HAPPY CANADA DAY to all our dear friends across the northern border!
I spent time in the gazebo yesterday rearranging hydrangeas early in the
day. . . . . .before the oppressive 95 degrees arrived along with distant storm
clouds, and rumbling thunder. These days are far from my favorites - the older
I get the less I enjoy the summer months.
If I lived in a cooler climate, with no biting bugs and the need to coat myself in
insect repellent prior to stepping out the door, nights that cooled down, where
flowers could survive more than a day, picnics perfect, the ocean refreshing,
summertime would still be embraced as it was in my childhood days in England.
Dream on.
The beautiful shades of blue have faded so quickly now.
We left for Ireland when they were just opening HERE, returned to find them stunning
in deep shades of blue. Neighbors stopped to gasp and comment on their loveliness,
and now, just two weeks later, hardly a touch a blue remains and we're into soft
greens, greys, and a touch of dusty rose.
Not complaining, they are still so lovely and I have cut many (always early in the
morning before the heat causes drooping) and have vases placed around the house.
Some I hope will dry out and can be used in autumn and winter when there's very
little to cut in the garden.
Gardens change. . . . . . . . gardening continues!
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Those pictures are just stunning. Love hydrangeas and the way the color changes to fit different seasons. You certainly have a green thumb.
ReplyDeleteLatane thanks for stopping by - hope you are keeping cool. Come to think of it, YOU are always a cool lady:)
DeleteMy old thumb is not as green as it once was. I admit I find gardening quite lot more challenging these days. I've given up growing veggies and planting tons of annuals. The summer heat, and my allergic reactions to insect bites, makes it hard. Watering is expensive, and of course travels take us away often and we don't like to bother the neighbors.
Hydrangeas are easy though and give off a fabulous show with little care required once established. Mine were cut down to the ground 2 years ago when the house was re-sided and painted - amazing how they've grown back and even required quite a heavy pruning this past spring.
Mary -
Your hydrangeas are beautiful Mary. I need to go out tomorrow morning and clip some off of the one bush I have!
ReplyDeleteYour hydrangeas are stunning Mary and each year I see those gorgeous blues I have the same thought...... I wish I lived closer and could ask you for a cutting!!
ReplyDeleteEven though the blue has morphed to greens, I still love them!
It’s mid winter here of course and mine are ready to prune, however I was still able to pick a pretty bunch on Saturday as distant friends were popping in for a coffee.
I feel lucky we live in a temperate climate without that oppressive summer heat.
Our visits to France were usually in early summer, however I still wilted in that heat. One year the temp hit early 40’s and I was a mess and remember my makeup running on my face....not a good look haha!!!
Your hydrangeas are beautiful and you get so many blooms. Our summers are just too much for them here. I water them daily, sometimes twice a day, but without rain, it is hard for them to bloom very well. I try my best. Hope the weather cools off a bit, both here and there, but it's probably early days. It feels like summer has been going on forever but, in reality, there's still so much of it left.
ReplyDeleteYou found a great way to beat the heat, Mary. Your hydrangeas are so, so pretty. I am now missing the blue ones I had in abundance at my former house. I now have two bright pink and one Annabelle in the garden. I will have to be content with smaller bouquets. Luckily it doesn't take a lot of hydrangea blooms to make a decent bouquet.
ReplyDeleteI rather enjoyed that description of a cooler climate. I think you should come up heah and see how it’s going. Love your hydrangeas in their blue stage...
ReplyDeleteMine are just coming out, a lovely mixture of blues and purples....with the odd pink head appearing ! They do look so attractive in a vase.
ReplyDeleteYour hydrangeas are so beautiful, Mary, even as they change colour in the heat. They are such a lovely flower. Ours are in full colour just now and I'm cutting masses of them for the house. I find extreme heat saps all my energy. The climate here is similar to England's although summers are becoming warmer than they used to be. I worked in the garden for most of the day and was glad for my hat, sunglasses, and a discarded long-sleeved cotton shirt of Tim's to protect me from the sun.
ReplyDeleteHi Mary :) Your flowers are really pretty! Oh to dream a summer without biting bugs...now that would be a miracle lol! I don't mind the heat and humidity at all because of our so-very-long and depressing winters. I welcome everything about summer (except the bugs)!!!
ReplyDeleteBeautiful hydrangeas! I love all the stages. Ours are still at the blue stage.
ReplyDeleteOh my, those hydrangeas are superb, Mary. Your garden is always so lush. 95 deg: yuk! It will return to us soon enough also. Like you, I find the older I am, the less tolerant of the heat.
ReplyDeleteThose hydrangeas are stunning! How interesting — I never knew their colours changed with the weather/season. I haven't seen these growing in hot and humid S.E. Qld for the longest time. Maybe in the cooler areas...
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