Hydrangeas by the doorway…

Last summer my wife bought a small hydrangea plant as a decoration. We decided to plant it outside by the back door. I t did almost nothing all winter. At one point she was afraid it was going to die. Then as it warmed up in spring, it finally started sprouting a few branches. Things got busy and I almost forgot about it. A couple weeks ago I noticed it had a few flower buds. Cool, it didn’t die. My wife said something about it, but I never got out there to check. This week I was catching up on some backyard gardening, and low and behold, that little plant was sporting the cutest purple flowers! I was glad they were purple. That’s my wife’s favorite color.  I was about to take credit for that. You see, hydrangeas often change color ranging from blue to pink in response to the soil pH. Ya, turns out she bought it as purple on purpose. (I still think I helped it stay purple.)

It got me wondering about where it originally comes from so I decided to jump down the rabbit hole. The scientific name for hydrangeas is Hydrangea macrophylla, AKA Big Leaf Hydrangea. According to the North Carolina Extension Gardener Plant Toolbox (https://plants.ces.ncsu.edu/plants/hydrangea-macrophylla/) hydrangeas are native to Japan, China, Korea, and Southeast Asia. Flower colors range from white to pink, blue, or purple flowers, depending on the soil's acidity (pH). Acid soil produces blue flowers; Soil that is alkaline produces pink flowers. The flowers are a cluster of small flat flowers surrounded by a larger ring of more showy flowers called “lacecaps”. They usually flower in the spring, but some cultivars can have a second blooming cycle, especially in warmer climates. It is a perennial and will come back year after year if properly cared for. It can grow to a bush of about 6 feet tall. In cold winter areas it will need to be covered to shelter it from the freezing winds. Here in California it may keep its leaves all winter. They can be trimmed after they finish blooming, but remember to keep it light. New buds form on the old wood. Be sure to do any trimming before August, because it will start forming buds for spring starting in the fall.

One interesting thing I learned is that the dead hollow stalks from the previous year can often give native bees a nesting sight. Since most native bees either can’t sting are rarely choose to sting, and they are great pollinators, hydrangeas can help your other garden plants.

If you decide to plant hydrangea (or a few) there are many online sites and lots of videos to help you on your adventure. Plant flower – color your world!