Hydrangeas, again

I have moved the hydrangea from the front, the east side of the house, to the north side of the garage. I really, really liked it out front, right by the porch, but it kept getting droopy from too much sun. I may not have given it enough water but I thought I did. Anyway, I bought two more and put them all on the same side of the garage. That gives me four along there, counting the one my youngest granddaughter gave me two years ago. It has buds and I'm anxious to see the blooms. All are pink but I do want blue.

I told a male friend that the plants look pretty silly sitting there so far from the garage wall but I didn't want them too close. He said they should be three feet from the building. That's just about where they are, maybe slightly less. I have a bed of lily of the valley there and put the hydrangeas just in front. I don't think they will choke out the flowers. They are so thick and they thrive in that shady area. I think they'll be fine.

Hydrangea

Walmart takes the worst care of their plants. The upside to that is that they will put them on sale just before they're completely dead. Today I bought a two gallon hydrangea for half price, $6.50. It's not big but it will grow. It has some beginnings of blooms on it and the leaves aren't brown. I've been looking at hydrangeas and saw some nice ones at Rural King for about $15. They were a bit bigger than the one I bought today. But I often have to watch what I spend and it never seemed the right time when I was over there. When I'm at Rural King I'm either getting bird seed or that high dollar cat food my two guys need. So plants are usually not a priority. I wasn't looking when I went to Walmart today, either. I was there on one quick errand and walked back to the plants just to browse. And bought only one plant. Good for me.

A few blocks from my house is a beautiful hydrangea bush, full of blue flowers. It's on the north side of the house, the side hydrangeas seem to like best. They like some shade, especially in hot climates, but too much shade will prevent blooming. There are many types of hydrangeas, so check the tag on the plant you look at to see where to plant and how big it will get. It will probably grow to four feet high and wide, or something close.

The hydrangeas that you get from grocery or department stores around Mother's Day or Easter are probably florist hydrangeas and may or may not come back when planted in the yard. My youngest granddaughter gave me one two years ago and I put it in a sheltered spot by the garage. It came back last year and has buds on it this year. I think I'll move it to a sunny spot.

Hydrangea colors can be changed from pink to blue depending on the pH of the soil. Acidic soil (pH 5.5 and lower) produces blue flowers, alkaline (pH 6.5 and higher) produces pink to red. Between pH 5.5 and pH 6.5 gives purple or a combination of blue and pink. How cool is that! I want blue.

More info can be found here at U.S. National Arboretum site. Thanks to Beiz Graphics for the generosity of free photos.

Tree hibiscus

Last fall the ex-boyfriend gave me a hibiscus tree that one of his women had left at his house. It's about four feet tall and had two blooms on it when I brought it home. It's a tropical hibiscus and needs to be kept inside in the winter, at least in Indiana. I put it outside a month or so ago and it's in bloom. I've questioned whether or not to keep it because I really don't have space for a tree in this house. I have until fall to decide.

These are different from the hardy hibiscus in my backyard. The flowers are not quite as big but seem to be the same as other hardy hibiscus I've seen. If you get one of these and don't live in the warm South, remember that it won't withstand temperatures below 60 degrees. The flowers are beautiful but I don't think the tree creates the dispaly that the shrub does. If you only have so much space or need to brighten up a patio, this tree will do it.

Photo courtesy of http://www.freenaturepictures.com/