Hydrangea envy.

5 years ago

last modified: 5 years ago

Right now I am visiting my mom who lives within sight of one of the Great Lakes which provides a wonderful moderating influence on temperatures. The neighborhood where her apartment is was built a century ago and the gardens are established and most well cared for, some by the owners. There are 5 species of Hydrangeas blooming here now: oak-leafed/quercifolia, mountain/serrata, big-leafed/macrophylla, smooth/arborescens, and panicled/paniculata, with multiple cultivars of each. I would guess that the soil must be close to neutral since there are both pink and blue macrophylla and serrata hydrangeas.

In this first garden I love the way the bananas emphasize the large, almost tropical look of the oak leafed hydrangeas flanking the steps.

This garden also had a bottle brush buckeye just finishing bloom mixed in with the hydrangeas.

Some of the Quickfires and Little Quickfires are starting to color already.

Limelight is just starting to open.

Likely Little Quickfire, relatively new garden.

The dog has become a connoisseur of hydrangeas, but I don’t let him lift his leg even on the ones overhanging the sidewalk.

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NHBabs z4b-5a NH
Original Author

5 years ago

last modified: 5 years ago

Just a few more. Sorry about the quality of the first two; the combo of distance and a cell phone camera does not create quality photos.

Quickfire will echo the color of the Japanese maple at some stages as the blooms change color.

And right around the corner of the same home, is this long mix of hydrangeas. it is tough to tell in this photo, but the magnolia on the left in front of the bed is reblooming in a shade that perfectly matches one of the pink hydrangeas.

In the garden at my mom’s building, which also has lovely plantings, is this combo.

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Comments (12)

indianagardengirl
5 years ago
Lovely, Babs. Thanks for sharing!
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Marie Tulin Boston burbs z 6a
5 years ago
I wonder if the landscape, or at least the pots, were done by .....ach, the name is escaping me.... Deborah Silver (maybe) of Detroit Gardenworks? Those pots are very distinctive.

Thanks for posting the photos, Barb. Good to know where you are. How's the pup enjoying the change of scenery?

Marie
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NHBabs z4b-5a NH
Original Author
5 years ago
last modified: 5 years ago
Marie, I am in Cleveland rather than Detroit, so I doubt Detroit Garden Works did them. But I think whoever planted them must overwinter these particular banana plants somewhere toasty because they must be approaching 10’ now, and I remember there being similar or the same plants in the same spot last fall. This is a house that I am fairly sure has a regular gardening service for some or perhaps all of the garden work. What’s the fun in that?

The pup is tolerating the change of scene though he has stayed here before, only a few weeks after I got him. He misses the woods and the billions of chipminks and his neighborhood buddies at home, but he has discovered bunnies!
nicholsworth Z6 Indianapolis
5 years ago
NHBabs..beautiful hydrangeas!..wouldn't it be wonderful if every neighborhood was this pretty?..
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tsugajunkie z5 SE WI ♱
5 years ago
There’s a lot to envy there. Thanks for the tour.

tj
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cearbhaill (zone 6b Eastern Kentucky)
5 years ago
"This is a house that I am fairly sure has a regular gardening service for some or perhaps all of the garden work. What’s the fun in that?"

Around here you can spot the difference between gardens made with love and those made by writing checks. Not that this isn't a lovely property- it is. But among my garden tour friends we can be pretty judgy about which of the two type gardens are the more enjoyable and interesting to visit and wander around in.

In the weeks leading up to our local annual garden tour it's always illuminating to drive by each home the week before the mass visiting happens. In many of them you will see truck lined streets and entire crews of workers pulling weeds, deadheading, planting annuals, and putting down fresh mulch to prep for viewing. It's not exactly "cheating" to hire everything out but to us it kind of violates the notion of personal/home gardening for pleasure. I know on my own property flyer the first thing mentioned is that it was designed, planted, and maintained only by the two old fart homeowners. Nothing other than giant tree removal has ever been contracted out and it seems that people are really inspired and motivated by that.

It's an interesting topic for conversation but one I suspect could rustle feathers of some. I understand that everyone is allowed to have the type garden they choose and if I've worded anything badly and caused offense that was not my intention.
NHBabs z4b-5a NH thanked cearbhaill (zone 6b Eastern Kentucky)
hyed
5 years ago
Beautiful
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gawdinfever Z6
5 years ago
OMG so gorgeous! I'm envious as well!
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prairiemoon2 z6b MA
5 years ago
Same here....they did an exceptional job. Love the house and the plantings that frame it! I have an oakleaf hydrangea that does not look that good! [g] I think that one might be one of the cultivars with the big huge flowers, Snowflake? Or somethng like that. I keep meaning to get one. Mine is the straight species.

And I can see the difference between the Quick Fire and Little Quickfires and the Little Lime. I think I may try to get a Quickfire, I like that one too. I do have a lot of Hydrangea blooms this year, even the mopheads and I have a serrata too. I just don't have them planted so artfully. [g]
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Sue W (CT zone 6a)
5 years ago
Beautiful Babs! Love the potted Ensetes in the first picture. They are very easy to winter over semi dormant in a dark, cool basement.
NHBabs z4b-5a NH thanked Sue W (CT zone 6a)
prairiemoon2 z6b MA
5 years ago
Babs, can I go live with your Mom? [g]
NHBabs z4b-5a NH thanked prairiemoon2 z6b MA