Hello Jen and everyone! Here we are in the year 2007 - and frankly I cannot wait for springtime. We suffered a horrible wind storm just before Christmas, with power out for 5 days and nights, 120 foot tree laying in our yard, huge branches punctured our new roof, and up to 50 foot branches literally covering our yard and street. The mess is still with us! Washington State has had enough trouble, and I sure sympathize with those from Colorado etc. I am anxious too to get started again with new hydrangeas and am looking for people who are good at starting new ones and perhaps selling them. Happy New Year to all of you! Donna

Hi Jen...Happy New Year!!

I was only yesterday looking around that dismal place that only a few months ago I called a garden, wondering what the plan will be for this Spring. I had a few surprises last season. Some hydrangeas that I thought would do well, did not and some that I was uncertain about did better than I thought they would. My early Springs usually consist of devising better plans to capitalize on the latter. For example; I had almost no hope for the two Annabelles I purchased last season, I even lost one of them. After seeing EGO's pics of his Annabelles in the shade and he in a much lower climate, I decided as a last ditch effort, to throw her in the ground in a particularly shady spot where a previously planted mac didn't bloom so well. Low and behold the Annabelle grew and thrived there. It remains to be seen if it will bloom well there, but in my mind, I can see an entire row of them and even if they don't bloom well, at least they hold their leaves (and general appearance) much longer than the macs that didn't bloom well there. If the row of Annabelles doesn't work out, well, then replacing them will be part of my 2008 Spring plans!! My goal always is to find the right hydrangea for the right location and this is an ongoing, ever changing process. Add to the dilema that I'm always finding new ones that I want to try and being of limited yard space, it always entails some sort of rearrangement. I had hoped that by now I would have everyone settled in their proper positions and all I would have to do is maintenance. Alas..it never seems to work out that way... but maybe this will be the year!!(lol).....yg

Hi Jen!! I've been mostly gone from this forum for the last couple of months - busy with the holidays, etc. Just starting to think again of spring. I wrote lots of plans last fall for what I wanted to do this year...time to dig them out and wait for spring. Although it almost seems like spring now - what an odd winter we are having. Forties this week - in Wisconsin!! That is very warm for us. I think the other states - Colorado, Washington - are getting our winter weather. I'm sure winter will start here soon, though.

My favorite new plant for me last year was Freudenstein which I got from Nantucket Hydrangea

Here are some of my pictures from this past year. Just nice pictures, but a lot of them happen to be Freudenstein.

Hope you enjoy them.

{{gwi:994500}}

{{gwi:994501}}

{{gwi:994502}}

{{gwi:994503}}

{{gwi:994504}}

{{gwi:994505}}

{{gwi:994506}}

{{gwi:994506}}{{gwi:994506}}

{{gwi:994506}}{{gwi:994506}}

{{gwi:994506}}{{gwi:994506}}

{{gwi:994506}}{{gwi:994506}}

{{gwi:994506}}{{gwi:994506}}

{{gwi:994506}}{{gwi:994506}}

{{gwi:994506}}{{gwi:994506}}

{{gwi:994506}}{{gwi:994506}}

{{gwi:994506}}

{{gwi:994506}}{{gwi:994506}}

{{gwi:994506}}{{gwi:994506}}

Spring dreams is right!!...Thanks for that Hay. I can see why Freudenstein is your new favorite.

Speaking of spring dreams, my shipment from Wilkerson Mills just arrived 5 minutes ago. Two more Annabelles and another Veitchii (all 3 yr olds). Can't wait to get a diggin' on my new row of white!!...yg

YG is digging while we're completely iced in! I'm so jealous!

Thanks for the scrumptious photos, Hayseedman! I looked wistfully through all of them, wondering what my few will look like in a few years. I liked the "Nantucket" link as well; I printed out some useful tips for the zone 4/5 area which can be a bit hard on hydrangeas.

You ALL prompt me to get back to my graph paper to plan out my back shade garden for this spring! Thanks for the inspiration!

Take heart Jen....while it's true that I may be able to garden longer, my hydrangeas will never be as glorious as those grown by you folks in places that receive a bit more winter. It's that old quantity vs. quality thing....Did you say "iced in"????.... brrrrr...yg

Wouldn't you just love to make a quilt using hydrangea flower pictures as the fabric?

At least a virtual quilt?

{{gwi:994527}}

{{gwi:994529}}

{{gwi:994531}}

{{gwi:994533}}

{{gwi:994535}}

{{gwi:994536}}

{{gwi:994538}}

{{gwi:994539}}

{{gwi:994540}}

{{gwi:994541}}

{{gwi:994543}}

{{gwi:994544}}

{{gwi:994545}}

Hay

I think I just found inspiration for my next quilt! (Quilting being a good way to pass the time until spring...) Thanks, Hay!

Very nice hay!! Brrrrr, it's cold out there. 0 degrees with a wind chill much colder. Dreaming of hydrangeas....and I must have a Pinky Winky......

Every time I take a walk around my house, I dig out (in my imagination) some of the overgrown evergreens and plant hydrangeas. And it looks fantastic!!!
Come on spring, where are you?

Went to sleep one afternoon at six.

What do you do when it's 4 o'clock in the morning and you're wide awake?

{{gwi:942654}}

Hay