Yesterday the Toronto gardeners and sisters Helen and Sarah Battersby, reminded me that hydrangeas like a lot of water. “Hydra” is right there in its name so it shouldn’t be too hard to remember. Fortunately, my ‘Mothlight’ hydrangea purchased a number of years ago from Nasami Farm (before it belonged to the New England Wildflower Society ) was planted where I do some watering. The bush itself got much bigger than I expected!
I bought ‘Mothlight’ because I like the airiness of the blossom. I am not sure that it qualifies as as a lacecap, but the flower does not have the density of the mopheads.
Last summer I bought the native oakleaf hydrangea (shown above) from Nasami Farm. It is still hardly more than a foot tall, but you can see it beginning to blossom. I later bought a ‘Limelight’ hydrangea from Shelburne Farm and Garden. Their purchase, and planting behind the peonies was part of my lawn eradication project. I expect both of these bushes to reach substantial size, not only tall, but more importantly for my purposes, they will have a wide spread. My plan is that ultimately the hydrangeas will nearly fill the space between the peonies and the road. Last summer was very rainy and even if I had been thinking about how thirsty hydrangeas are I wouldn’t have needed to water them. However they are planted in a spot that drains very well and is quite dry. This spring I added a ‘Pinky Winky’. Water is essential for good bloom I will water all three well today.
Could anything more damning be said about a gardener? [From a New York Times article about the recently arrested Russian spy ring.]
Hydrangea growers forfend umbrage:
“Neighbors in Montclair, N.J., of the couple who called themselves Richard and Cynthia Murphy were flabbergasted when a team of F.B.I. agents turned up Sunday night and led the couple away in handcuffs. One person who lives nearby called them “suburbia personified.” Others worried about the Murphys’ elementary-age daughters, who were driven away by a family friend. Jessie Gugig, 15, said she could not believe the charges, especially against Mrs. Murphy, who was an accomplished gardener. “They couldn’t have been spies,” she said. “Look what she did with the hydrangeas!”
Ha, love that first comment! You are so right about them liking water. In fact, I never thought about the “hydra” connection before. Growing them in the south tries the poor plants. Every afternoon my hydrangeas droop but I’ve been told I just need to learn to live with that down here! I like that ‘Mothlight’ you have. It looks a bit different from the others.
Oh, I forgot to say, I look forward to meeting you soon in Buffalo!