I have no business looking at plants yet .. it is way too early and I will go completely raving mad if I start up this part of my brain right now. Some how today I couldn't manage to keep it under control .. I was just innocently browsing ?
So .. what happened ?
First I ran into "Quick Fire" Hydrangea .. the main attraction is its EARLY blooming time .. supposedly a month well before others .. it blooms regardless of nature and I can throw at it .. now that has to be a GOOD THING doesn't it ? It is actually described a "No Fuss" plant .. how much better can it get .. so if you are hunting down a flowering shrub .. have a serious look at this one .. remember how I went on about "Pinky Winky" people !
Next ... and I'm sorry about the size of the photo .. is "Lets Dance Starlight" ..the first ever, so far, new wood blooming lace-cap .. and from the description they are talking massive blooms .. colour is dependant on soil ph .. that pink or blue thing .. you know the drill .. acidic or alkaline type deal. But the exciting thing is new wood blooming, hardy, dependable .. strong stems.
I'm no authority at all .. but I do a lot of research .. and I'm willing to try this one .. that means a lot because I don't have much space .. so I am choosy !
The third one is ( a little Irish never hurt anyone one mind you .. especially with my last name !) ..Shamrock .. Hydrangea macrophylla .. in the Japanese tradition of masses of large doubled lace-cap flowers. Long blooming .. more compact .. more frost resistant.Yes .. it is one of the ph colour programmed hydrangea .. but again .. I am ready to take the gamble and try this one.
Well ... these are just a few suggestions from the hydrangea world .. no doubt there will be more . We aren't in the "dead" of winter yet and I'm into this dipping of the "plant toe" already. These struck a cord with me some how . from some one who wasn't all that fussy about hydrangea .. I am becoming a fan. So as long as no one sees I forgot to trim Pinky Winky's flower heads off this Autumn ( I'm so embarrassed about that) .. I might hold some credibility in my quiet humble picks ? : )
20 comments:
I didn't trim the blossoms off of my Limelight this year. The dried blooms look great in the fall & dead of winter (especially with snow on them). :) Can't wait to see if you add some new Hydrangea selections to your garden next season. Quickfire was on possible wishlist too.
Hey, like I needed more incentive to buy another Hydrangea. You do realize that I have a very limited space, and oh my! that last one, it looks like African Violet flowers, AND I NEED IT!!
Where can I get them?
Jen
Love hydrangeas !!
What a great selection you have.
Can't wait "till next summer.
Here's a meme that you may want to participate in.
Visit me or Shady for details.
The title is "2008 Summer Insriration".
Thanks Patsi
Hi Patsi .. that looks like fun so I'm going to try and hop on the bandwagon too ! Yup .. it is going to be a plant hunting mission once again next Spring ! can't wait : )
Jen .. I'm laughing over here because I didn't think I was going to go this route with hydrangea .. plus I never thought I would find Pinky Winky so soon last year .. I'm too eager to try this Spring again with these ones : )
PG .. Isn't Quick Fire a looker ? I think I really have to have that one for sure .. we can start talk about that club again, like Pinky Winky ? LOL
It's never to early to dream of next year's blooms! That's how I spend all winter ~ dreaming.
I will be interested to see how your new hydrangeas do once planted and growing. Hope they do great!
Hey, I didn't trim my PW's either! As for Quick Fire, my friend bought one this year, so we shall see how it turns out next year. I had "discovered" a new one that I wanted for next year, lace cap, but have misplaced the name of it. Good grief, I just finished raking leaves today so I think I had better take a bit of a break before I start planning on 2009!
Rose
Gorgeous, gorgeous and gorgeous! I love Quickfire...a real beauty!
Gail
Joy, I love your choices. I grew Starlight this year and can tell you that it has a very slow start. But once it started putting out the blooms--it bloomed its fool head off with big beautiful lacy caps! It does not like sun at all and I had to move it to a filtered light location.
I'll be interested to see if Starlight does better in your location. Here in my part of NC it was brutally hot and dry all summer. I think that may have stressed it and caused some of the slow growth.
I love Pinky Winky too and of course am a big fan of Limelight.
Anna .. thanks for your experience with Starlight .. I will make sure about the light values are easy on this one .. we also can have very hot yet humid summers with little rain .. so I would baby this one a bit .. I'm anxious to rip out more lawn in the back and really build a beautiful larger shade garden .. I'll keep the progress posted : )
Gail .. from what I have read on the net .. Quick Fire should be a nice easy one like Pinky .. did you ever get Pinky ? .. I thought you did .. but I'm not absolutely sure now .. duh ? LOL
Rose .. I owe you e-mail girl !! You are the only person I know that puts so much effort into raking as many leaves as possible up .. I hope that lawn service takes care of that for you next year ? .. when you find out what that hydrangea is .. let me know ?
Tina .. you and me both girl ! .. I didn't think I would be that obsessive about hydrangea .. but once tasted .. it stuck now ? LOL ..
Nola .. the time just flys by when I am searching the net for plant ideas .. nothing else does that for me .. I love it ! we are all busy "bees" planning aren't we ? LOL
No fair, Joy! I was just getting out of the plant-buying mode I've been in for months, and here you show more hydrangeas! "Pinky Winky" is still on my wish list; dare I add more?
Actually, I did buy "Let's Dance Starlight" this past fall, and posted it somewhere in my blog...(I don't know how to do a link here). You can add one more detail to its description: it has beautiful bronze foliage in the fall. IF it blooms for me next summer, I'll be sure to post it.
It's difficult not to dip one's garden clog toe in and check the water temp sometimes. Most Hydrangeas don't do well for me here in hot, sunny Oklahoma, but I love looking at the lacecaps. Thanks for the eye candy.~~Dee
My one hydrangea died when I didn't realize the sprinkler system on the west side of the house (which is next to the street and where I rarely go) was not working correctly. But my garden is still fairly young, and I shall get more.
Brenda
Brenda girl .. start making a list so you will be organized .. so I won't nag you is more like it ?
Just say "Joy .. I have MY own list! stop driving me crazy Joy !!
LOL
Dee, you are most welcome ! .. I swore I wasn't going to do this until January .. but, like you said .. it is difficult not to LOOK ! .. and great eye candy is out there for sure : )
Rose .. I am going to scan your blog to find that post ! .. and funny enough, that was a detail I had on my notes but rushed the post and forgot to put that on it.
I planted a "Cityline" one this past Autumn .. new one to me so I don't know what to expect from it .. BUT .. it has set flower buds as far as I can tell .. fingers crossed for both of us girl !
No fair! You are getting three new hydrangeas, and I can't even figure out where I would put one! We have so much sun in our yard, and the front shady part is full. Hmmm.
Robin ! .. the solution is right in front of you girl ! .. front garden that is .. "move" some plants around .. get that plant show horn out girl ! .. "they will come if you "move" some" .. that quote from that movie doesn't seem right ? haha .. but I think you get my drift .. right ?
Must have quickfire.
Frances
Frances .. of course you MUST have Quick Fire girl ! .. I just know I can inspire the hidden hydrangea in all of us ? LOL
Good heavens, you've touched a taboo of mine. I literally get high on Hydrangeas. I've been waiting for Pinky Winky for ages, snatched it this September, and am still high on sensation LOL (so much, I forgot to trim as well). I'm surprised they even imported anything but those standard ph-overdosed ones. And then there's your post with all those extremely wonderful new individuals, some I have not yet heard of, and will surely wait another few years for an updated and possibly misplaced stock from Holland. Mind you, the Lacecaps are almost impossible to find around here. Excuse me now, I'm going to scroll back up and let the excessive salivation take over again ...
Hi Violet .. you are so funny ! I'm having a laugh this morning, Thanks !
I swore I wouldn't be looking this soon .. but here I am doing IT !
I had heard of Quick Fire last year but Pinky had all my attention at the time .. and I do love it .. but my wondering eye has been bedazzled by these ones .. and I too wonder if I will be able to find them here WHEN I want them ? Hang on girl .. they have to go in your direction some time : )
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