Thinking that they were too tender I avoided hollies for many years, but I finally decided to give them a try. I planted "Blue Princess" and "Blue Prince" about ten years ago. They are said to grow slowly, so I don't know if I am too impatient, but they have grown very slowly. They are growing in full sun, and there is no question that they are in acid soil. No need for Holly Tone fertilizer here. The…
Spring is creeping in slowly on little cat feet. When I drove past my friend Paul's house I saw the fat pussies on his willow by the side of the road. I dashed home to see if my pussywillow was blooming. Both of us have bushes growing in a wet spot, and both produce fat soft pussies. Alas, my bush is just beginning to bloom. Why the difference? Micro-climate? Very different variety?
I haven’t always liked hydrangeas. As a child living in the Bronx, I saw a number of houses on our street wirh tiny yards that held a blue hydrangea or two. In spite of the interesting color and flower heads that everyone called ‘snowballs’ I did not like them. Who can explain dislikes? And the things a child takes against are even more mysterious. Though I rarely saw hydrangeas in gardens as a new gardener, over the past…