Monday, June 14, 2010

Hydrangeas



Hello Everyone!
I hope you all had a great weekend!


Today I thought I would share another one of my favorite flowers.

Hydrangeas

Three years ago, I planted over twenty hydrangea shrubs.




I planted them all along the east side of the house, that way they would receive morning sun and not afternoon sun. The idea was the porch was supposed to protect them from that hot afternoon sun.

I never expected them to grow so big so fast.

Hydrangeas do well with filtered sunlight.

They don't do well in the hot afternoon sun.
They burn very quickly when exposed to the afternoon sun.

So that is why I need my husband to extend the porch!

Not Really, however we do have very hot summers here, and beings they are no longer protected by the porch we are going to have to create shade for them.

They really shouldn't be exposed to the sun after 11:00 a.m.
Now the outer edges of the plants are exposed to the sun until about 1:00 p.m. because they have grown outward a little more than I expected.
One thing we have thought of doing is planting climbing roses along the porch to create shade for them.


I am sad to say they will not look like this for long, beings the hot summer days are now upon us. Until I can come up with a shade solution I will have to cut them back very soon, so I thought I better snap a few pictures before that has to happen.

The name of the hydrangeas I planted are called Nikko Blue,
Really they are very low maintenance.
I fertilize mine once a week and water everyday during the hot summer months.


You can read more about hydrangeas here




They make the prettiest cut flowers!



Hope you all have a great week!
Take Care,
Maria

Cabbages and Roses is so generously giving away a beautiful table cloth and 6 napkins, to one lucky reader.
valued at $185.00

110 comments:

Maria ( Idekroken ) said...

Wow.. they are beautiful! :) And big! :) Here in Norway we call them "hortensia". And I really love them.

Hugs from me.

Anonymous said...

Heavenly! They are my most favorite flower!
Have a lovely week,
Zuzu

Shannon said...

They are gorgeous!! Also my favorite flower although I can't grow them where I currently live thanks to the heat. I am jealous at how many you have and how amazing it must be to cut so many for your home, enjoy :)

Foxanddahlia said...

They are lovely, I have some here, they too are blue you get pink depending on the soil type. They dry beautifully too.

Have a great week

x

Lara said...

This post is just wonderful Maria! I just planted my very 1st shrub last week & I want to do more. Yours look absolutely abundent and stunning.. thanks so very much for sharing!
xx lara

Daphne Nicole & Lynda Cade said...

OMG, they are gorgeous. Thanks for the info on how to take care of them!!!
Daphne

ROSE VINE COTTAGE said...

OMG they are stunning! I would love to have them but I don't think they will grow in S. FL ):

Cherry Blossoms said...

These are so beautiful and also one of my favorite flowers as well!

Linda said...

So very pretty! Thanks for sharing.

Anonymous said...

Your hydrangeas are gorgeous, and I love the way you have them wrapping around your porch!! I have some in my garden, too, and I can't get enough of them. They're so beautiful! And, your right, they don't like the afternoon sun at all. :) That porch of yours is gorgeous, too!
I just wanted to let you know I did a post about inspiring blogs yesterday and yours was among the blogs I mentioned. :) I used some of your pics (I hope you don't mind) and, of course, gave you credit and linked to your blog.
Thanks for all the wonderful inspiration you continue to contribute to blogland!!

Hugs ~ Jo

P.S. If you don't want your pics on my blog, just let me know and I will be happy to remove them immediately. :)

Farmgirl Paints said...

Holy cow those are gorgeous! I really need to plant something like that along the side of our house. So not a gardener though:o

AT HOME BLOG said...

Hi Maria :-) hydrangeas are my favourite too... and your porch is amazing!
Kisses
Etta

Robyn said...

I absolutely LOVE Hydrangeas! Yours are gorgeous and I can't imagine the beauty of 30 BUSHES! MUST be HYDRANGEA HEAVEN THERE!

We transplanted 3 HUGE bushes last year when we built our pergola and put them in the back of our yard under the shade of pine trees. I've very curious if they are going to go from blue to pink/purple in the next couple years because of the acidic soil from the pine needles.

Carre said...

Hi Dreamy whites
More beautiful full of flowers and amazing.
Greetings from Belgium

Poolside with the Girls said...

Most beautiful H's I've ever seen! I'm impatiently waiting for mine to bloom here in NY. Waiting...waiting!

I love that they are pretty low maintenance.

Wow. Yours are gorgeous!

Madelief said...

Your hydrangeas look great against your white porch. I planted some hydrangeas in our garden as well three years ago, but they don't flower as well as yours do!

Lieve groet, Madelief

Wishful Home said...

They are my favourite, all time flowers (along with sunflowers)

They don't grow all that well where I live, but I wish they did! I lived in Vancouver last year, and they grow there like weeds...they are everywhere!

Beautiful pictures.

Beach House Living said...

Now that is a lot of Hydrangeas. Here we have super sunny in the front of the house and too shady in the back to grow these. We planted a few which need more light. Our neighbor's yard is perfect for them and some are six feet tall she has many lovely bushes.

My Life And Loves said...

Your hydrangeas are gorgeous! And you have photographed them so beautifully!!

You have inspired me to go and buy some now and plant them in my garden! :)

x

Jan M said...

From one hydrangea lover to another, yours are gorgeous! I showed photographs of mine a couple of weeks ago, and have enjoyed discovering how many bloggers have an affection for these beautiful blooms.
Thanks so much for sharing!

Little Emma English Home said...

Hi Maria!! Hydrangeas are one of my fav flowers as well....so many things in common see?? Your hydrangeas are stunning!!! I coud watch them all day long...I bought 5 hydrangeas this year, 2 white, 1 blue, 1 pink and 1 green. I love them but seeing your porch, well it's a dream!! I have to show my mum, she will freak out ;)

Lots of love for you xx

Aspiring Kennedy said...

I love blue hydrangeas!! So pretty & so southern! :)

What a great blog! So happy to find it...

www.aspiringkennedy.com

carolina @ patagonia gifts said...

oh Maria, these are my favorite flower too! love them. I have a few... but yours are supreme! have a lovely week!

Jacqueline~Cabin and Cottage said...

Honestly, I think I might faint! Flowers en masse like this are so spectacular! I really have to go out of my way to see anything like this here in the desert SW so I LOVE your post. So glad you shared while they are peaking! Jacqueline

Petie said...

I live in Arizona, so your flowers are amazing. I have been flooding my flower beds with water morning and night, my husband calls me the "san hedro", meaning irrigater in spanish. Sometimes, I forget and I have water everywhere. He teases and says, "You're fired". Thanks for sharing your flowers with this Arizona girl.

Unknown said...

Dear Maria,
I love your photos,
j'adore ces fleurs!!!!
hugs <3
daniela "DREAM SHABBY CHIC" Milano

Unknown said...

I'm going outside to fertilize right now so mine will look like yours!
Enjoy your week!

STYLIZIMO said...

Lovely! Definitely one of my favorite flowers.
I never think I have seen such a big Hydrangea before. You did GOOD:)

Nina

Anna said...

GORGEOUS!! I am so jealous!!!

savvycityfarmer said...

these are a slice of heaven ... they give a home such an established graciousness ...

I am in the proces of a wraparound porch makeover ( will post)
I am creating a "sleeping porch" ...
under the skirt of the porch will be "quickfire" hydrangea ... the can stand the sun ... I'll be finished by weeks' end .... sigh!
nap anyone???

thank you for playing along in my giveaway
did you get my email?

love lives in the kitchen said...

i'm wordless! i love your pictures and your garden! i wish mine was as big and beautiful as yours!
have a sweet day,
justyna

Michelle said...

Wow! Those are awesome! Wish I would've known this when I planted mine :) I put in one last year and it is on the South side of my house...aka: Sun, Sun & more Sun! It burns! Not good! I'm still worried about it actually living...we will see!

Jacqueline @ HOME said...

Oh my goodness, Maria. Your hydrangeas are magnificent. They must love it there. Can't you just keep them cut back ? They look so healthy and happy growing there.
I think that all of the blogs I visit say that their favourite flowers are hydrandeas and peonies. They are my favourites too.... although there are many more that I like of course.
Your photographs of them are stumming. The colours of flowers are just perfect, arn't they ? XXXX

n o r d i n g å r d e n said...

So beautiful hydrangea pictures, Do you live so beautifully !!!?? Your whole blog is beautiful!

Thanks for the sweet words about me and my blog at Aina-I really appreciate that!

Mari at Nordingården

Jojo said...

The hydrangeas are gorgeous!!!! Like magic pink and blue snowballs.

Heather ~Pretty Petals said...

I love hydrangeas... yours are amazing! Blue flowers are my very favorite.

xoxo

Gilding Lilies said...

How glorious?!!!

Unknown said...

Just so stunning Maria! Looooove the "ranch" shot...very cool!!!!!! EVERYTHING you do is beautiful!!!

Okay, I better get back to work...talk to you soon {I feel like I haven't talked to you in forever but I think it's only been a few days :) :)}...

Hugs ~

:) T

manon 21 said...

Après les roses les hortensias...

Beautiful


Manon

Heaven's Walk said...

Maria - your hydrangeas are just breathtaking! There's something so perfect about them wrapping around a porch. So embracing! What do you fertilize them with to make them so healthy looking? I planted "Blushing Bride" and "Limelight" a couple years ago across the front of my front porch. They're coming along nicely, but certainly NOT as big and blowsy and beautiful as yours!

xoxo laurie@heavenwalk

Jason and Abby said...

They are my favorite! Where did you purchase the starts for these lovely plants?

Rikke said...

Wow, lucky you - that looks so great!!Check out great giveaway at Scandinavianchic.com:)

Passionate for White said...

L-O-V-E Hydrangeas and the pictures you shared are simply gorgeous!!

paola said...

Ciao Maria! Hydrangeas are among my favourite flowers! I have them in my garden and like to keep a bunch into the home, too. This year I want to try and dry them!!
Yours are lovely!
Love
paola

BELLE BLANC said...

oh my goodness! What do you give them to grow so full and high? How old are your Hydrangeas? My Endless Summer Hydrangea is now two years old and jut about 32 inches high... how many have you planted? sorry for all these questions, but I am really speechless, hugs Mira!

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Marie said...

I really love hydrangeas too, especially blue and white ones. Your plants are huge!!! How old are they? The reason I'm asking is I planted them in my new garden last year and pruned it, but now, it's still the same size. Thanks for sharing!
-marie

Biljana said...

I m your newest follower.
You have absolutely outstanding blog.
Greetings from Europe - Croatia:)))

layers of memory said...

Maria your garden looks amazing.....did you know you can dry hydrangea flowers....you cut them when they are just fading put them in some water and let them drink it all then just leave them and they dry beautifully.....i have hydrangeas in the sun and just keep them watered but then your suns heat may be different to ours in NZ.......

Cindy said...

I, too, love hydrangeas. I planted two bushes that were gifted to me this year. I am so excited to see them grow and mature. Seeing yours makes me look forward to them even more.
Hugs, cindy s

Anne Lorys said...

The first flowers I ever loved!
Yours are just gorgeous, Maria!

Hugs,
Anne

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Hen Jen said...

beautiful! I heart hydrangeas! we had a lovely bush in front of our house, but my dh tore it out when he build on a front porch. I was just telling him the other day that I'd like to get a new bush, I miss it.

Andrea said...

so beautiful maria!!! xo

Tina said...

Hydrangeas are my second favourite flower after roses:) Yours are so beautiful and I love the dark blue.purple colour Maria. Thank you for sharing yours:) Hope you have a fabulous week ~ Tina xx

donna good said...

love hydrangeas...mine are blooming too!

DustyLu said...

I love these flowers Maria! One of my favorite! I finally had a chance to sit at my computer and do a post and say hi to everyone. I am working on it. Hope all is wonderful and I love your hyrdrangeas! Goregous ~lulu

Erin Lang Norris said...

I love hydrangeas- the house we moved into last summer has tons of them! They are all the white ones, though. I just recently started to like the blue and purple ones! Now I love them just as much as the white ones. :)

I'm going to run outside (in the rain!) to see if mine are starting to bloom.

Cielo Azul Jewelry said...

Gorgeous!!!! I love the cows in the back=0)

Have a great night,
xoxo,
Carol

Miss Mustard Seed said...

Oh my...your hydrangea bushes are what mine want to be! Just lovely.

traci said...

those are amazing maria. just gorgeous.

Splenderosa said...

Every single thing about you is absolutely beautiful !!

xx's

Crystal Rose Cottage said...

What beautiful hydrangeas! Your photos of them are really good! I have a huge bunch of white ones but no colored ones...would love to have a few in my yard!~Patti

Angela said...

They are gorgeous!!

Angela said...

WOW! They are fantastic! My mom has little plants just starting out and I hope they get as big and colorful as yours! Thanks for sharing!

Unknown said...

I envy your colours - mine always just turn blue - I really want a lavender shade or pink one!!!

Tracie~MyPetiteMaison said...

Maria,
Your hydrangeas are gorgeous! We have bunches of white ones on the side of our house that would normally get afternoon sun, thank goodness for a huge pine tree that keeps us cool as well. Just gorgeous, makes me want to go out & get more plants!

Patinaware said...

Oh my goodness those R Gorgeous ~ WoW!

Seawashed said...

You are so so lucky to have so many of them! They are gorgeous!!!! Every hydrangea I have planted has died. I have tried white and blue ones. But it is just too hot here. I live in the Sacramento valley and even in full shade they die...too hot! I will keep trying because I want their loveliness in my gardens.

Anonymous said...

Maria - your hydrangeas are beautiful. They look soooo healthy. Amazing they are only 3 years old!!!! I have had terrible trouble with the summer sun and heat burning the flowers and foliage on my many bushes. Our Australian summer can be so harsh that even the shade is not protection enough from the intense heat wilting and burning the leaves. Have moved my bushes again this winter in the hope i have now found the perfect spot for them, but will have to wait for Summer again to see if I am right. They are worth the trouble though. I wouldn't dream of having a garden without them. My absolute favourites. I look at yours, smothered in flowers, and think I shall have to remember to fertilise more regularly as well. Thank you so much. These gorgeous photos have brightened my day.

Nahdi

Almalu's Place said...

they have amazing shades of pink and violet!so gorgeous!

Lady Grey said...

Wow, those are some incredible hydrangea photos!!
Beautiful blog : )

a whole lotta love said...

hydrangeas are one my favorite flowers. yours are absolutely stunning. i love them all together like that. the blue varieties are now being bred to survive in my northern area... so its definitely in the works for me to plant some in my little corner of the world. :)

Ness Lockyer said...

My favourite flower. I love your hydrangea hedge you have created. We have ours near our front porch, but under a big old tree for the shade factor...our summers here are SO hot and dry so it is the only way they will survive. I hope yours dont dry out too much...they are too pretty.
Hope you are well dear friend,
Ness xx

Dawn-Hydrangea Home said...

Your Hydrangeas are gorgeous! They're obviously my favorite! I just planted a couple of new varieties this past fall - can't wait till they bloom!

Terrell said...

They are just absolutely beautiful! I have a huge crush on them as well! You have a gorgeous porch!!!

arlene said...

Hydrangeas are my second favorite flower, next to lilacs! I haven't tried growing them here in Colorado but I had some lovely ones in California. Just maybe....

shellie said...

your hydrangeas are gorgeous...and i am so jealous!!!!!! hopefully you will get and extended porch soon!

Splenderosa said...

They are my favorite flower too. I cannot even imagine growing such a beautiful crop...you have the magic touch I think. Just enjoy them with all your family & friends. xx's

The Misty Journey said...

wow, I would love to have hydrangea bushes like that...awesome!!!

Lulu and Co. said...

What a stunning sight!!!
xo,
LuLu

Sandi@ Rose Chintz Cottage said...

Oh my, Maria, what gorgeous hydrangeas you have! They are simply exquisite! What stunning colours; just dreamy! Thank you for sharing them with us. Have a pleasant day.

Blessings,
Sandi

Frugal Home Designs said...

Those are gorgeous! I love the picture with the flowers and the cows in the background.

Ruth said...

I absolutely love these hydrangea photos. We have tried to get hydrangeas to grow here but without success. After seeing your pics, I'm going to have my husband try again!

Anonymous said...

I love your beautiful hydrangeas! I am certainly going to plant some in our new yard, thanks for the tips and inspiration. Wishing you a wonderful week!

FEDERICA said...

Good morning my dear Maria!
I love love love your flowers!!! Your hydrangeas looks gorgeous! You are really like to have a beautiful green area like that!!
Hugs
You're italian friend :-)

kasey said...

I {love} that photo where you can just peek at the cows in the field behind the bushes.
gorgeous.
xo

Debbie said...

Oh Maria...your pics of your hydrangeas are stunning! Just like you.
Debbie@houseatthelake

Blondiensc said...

Your hydrangeas are gorgeous and I think you just explained why my one hydrangea plant died, it got afternoon sun! so thank you! I planted a new one in morning sun, afternoon shade, without even knowing this is what they like, and hopefully it will flurish like yours did!! happy Wednesday! gorgeous pictures as always!

Elena Rosenberg Wearable Fiber Art said...

Stunning! Hydrangeas are my absolute favorites

Miles Of Style said...

so pretty i can almost smell them!

just stumbled upon your blog and i have to say i LOVE it. do come drop by mine too and maybe we can follow each other. =)

have a lovely day!

Persis
http://onestylemile.blogspot.com

Becca said...

Oh my favorite too! I hope to live somewhere someday where I can plant them like you do. You've done a beautiful job taking care of them. I wanted one so badly that I tried taking it home and planted it under a shade tree with a dripper. It only lasted a short time and was not happy here in the desert heat of Las Vegas. Oh well...someday! Thank you for sharing. :-)

paige said...

one of my favorites too, just right after those glorious peonies!
yours look fantastic
like a hydrangea heaven!
mine are a dark purple...i much prefer that gorgeous blue

:)

Irene b said...

hi maria I love your porch and the colour of your hydrangea! I can't enter in your giveaway when i try to write it tell me "New comments have been disabled for this post by a blog administrator"... I'd like to be counted in my favourite is raspberry! Love
irene

Vintage Home said...

....oh so lovely!...we are eagerly waiting for sun here!..
thanks you for thee images to keep us till then!...

Mary Lou said...

I found you through the Vintage Wren and my first click, I saw my favorite flower..Beautiful.
I'm following.

lisa said...

Beyond Beautiful. Thanx for sharing.

Lisa :)

Privet and Holly said...

I can never get ENOUGH of lovely blue hydrangeas. White Annabelles are the hydrangea of the day here in the upper Midwest. Beautiful images, ALL! xx Suzanne

paperbird said...

Holly cow those are so gorgeous- they are a favorite of mine as well. I can't get mine to stay that beautiful blue no matter what I add to the soil- you have a green thumb my dear, thank you for sharing these gorgeous images.

Alaina said...

Those hydrangeas are absolutely beautiful. I wish I could get my blue ones to flurrish like the rest of my garden. I have no trouble with the white ones, they seem to be hardier. I have a question, do you trim them to the ground at the end of the season. I am just curious how they get so big. Thanks for sharing their beauty.

Janice Selby said...

Those hydrangea are too beautiful, what a dream to have them so big & full.

Janice In Missouri

The Adventurous Family said...

Hey Maria! I haven't talked to you in a while or been on your blog. I finally got a chance to look and got a wonderful surprise of pictures of your beautiful hydrangeas! I have loved this flower for a long time but thought I couldn't grow it here in a zone 4. I found out that Endless Summer will grow here and planted just 2 plants to find out if they would make it. Mine however are just starting to grow and are very small. Yours are so beautiful! I love the color. Do you have to give them anything in the soil to change the color? Also do they come up from old wood or do they grow from the ground up? Thanks for the great picts!

Wendy

Heather ~Pretty Petals said...

Maria, I LOVE that you planted so many hydrangea bushes!! A girl after my own heart... they are such beautiful beautiful flowers.

xoxo

Samantha2818 said...

Hi Maria,
thank you so much for visiting my blog and leaving me such lovely comments - praise indeed from someone so amazing and inspirational. Thankyou!
I'm off to France in 4 hours so keep an eye out for when I come back as I'm hoping to find something nice over there to giveaway.
~Sam x

jerriann said...

Okay, that did it, I'm planting hydrangeas in my court yard on the east side.

But hey I noticed to good looking Angus cattle you have there in the background. Are they yours? We raise Angus here so that kind of thing caught my eye.

Beautiful post.

beachvintage.com said...

They are seriously stunning flowers.

Janice said...

Hi Maria! Your hydrangeas are simply amazing. I love that colour and you must just love being able to cut as many as your heart desires. I cannot wait for my little garden to grow! I hope you are doing well, I'm sure you are busy, I think it is that time of year. I made my french ticking pillow myself, with vintage fabric I found on Ebay. Hope that helps! Have a wonderful weekend!
Janice

Sissie's Shabby Cottage said...

Your home looks so lovely surrounded by all those gorgeous hydrangea.

Mine are not doing well at all this year. I think it's the heat and humidity. (sigh)

Maybe next year.

hugs
Sissie

Andi's English Attic said...

Growing up I never liked hydrangers. I think it was because my mum buried my budgie under one when he died. Now I love them and your photos are really beautiful. What a huge area they cover. You've also told me a few things I didn't know about them not liking full sun, so thanks. xx

Amy R. said...

Those are gorgeous! I must go move mine. I think they are getting too much sun!