Visioning

photography and digital scrapbooking

The Coolest Garden Colors: Hydrangea

by 19 Comments

One of my favorite plants is blooming! We grow the bigleaf species of hydrangea and one angel wing bush. I love these old-fashioned plants for the vibrant cool colors, but also because they are nearly maintenance free. The only care we provide is to fertilize them once or twice per year. We have not tried to change the colors by changing the pH of the soil. But it would be fun to try next year. I would love to see dark pink mixed with the blue and purple!

Author: Karen Chandler

Metal clay jewelry, nature photography, and digital scrapbooking are Karen's passions. She is mostly self-taught, enjoying the learning process as much as producing her works of art. Karen's jewelry features fine silver, copper, and bronze. She sculpts and refines metal clay, then kiln fires her pieces and polishes them to perfection. The process allows for exciting interpretations of symbols, shapes, textures, and combinations of metals. A long time user of Photoshop, Karen loves to create digital layouts with her photos. Her layouts and albums are a diary of sorts; documenting milestones, recording happy times, and celebrating her love of nature.

19 thoughts on “The Coolest Garden Colors: Hydrangea”

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  1. cravesadventure
    May 15, 2012 at 10:03 pm

    Beautiful, colorful, vibrant flower photos!

  2. tita buds
    May 16, 2012 at 5:25 am

    Here they are! Pretty hydrangeas.
    Wait, it’s only by changing the pH in the soil that you can modify the colors? Now I have to ask my Ma to try growing these. 🙂

    • Karen Chandler
      May 16, 2012 at 5:29 pm

      Hi Tita Buds! Yes, they showed up immediately after I spoke of them on your “Summer Thriving” post! The flowers change color a little as they bloom. But to make bright pink or red blossoms you can add dolomitic lime to raise the pH. One of our plants was sold as a red hydrangea. The soil changed it to blue, but I can try to regain the red color next year.

  3. I HAVE A VOICE
    May 16, 2012 at 9:04 pm

    These are amazing & that’s an understatement! BEAUTIFUL blog! Thanks ~Deborah

  4. Anonymous
    May 17, 2012 at 12:34 am

    You did it again Karen. Not only is the hydrangea a magnificent flower but you did an outstanding job of capturing its beauty through the lens. Have you tried “Endless Summer”? It quickly became a favorite of mine as it really does bloom the duration of the season and will tolerate more sun than most.

    • Karen Chandler
      May 17, 2012 at 12:57 am

      Thank you, Anonymous – I am guessing you are Joyce! I am lucky to have received many of your kind comments and I also know you are an expert gardener! Thanks for mentioning “Endless Summer”. I will check it out the next time I’m at a nursery.

  5. Pingback: Hydrangea Tips on How to Plant and Water Your Dwarf Bushes | Home and Yard Now

  6. maru
    May 17, 2012 at 4:01 pm

    Cool indeed! The shade of the blue ones is gorgeous.

  7. dhphotosite
    May 17, 2012 at 4:51 pm

    Wow excellent photos…I especially like number 2!!! The color is wonderful!!!

  8. Robin
    May 21, 2012 at 8:57 am

    Wow! You have some gorgeous hydrangeas. Really lovely images. 🙂

  9. candaceg222
    May 21, 2012 at 8:37 pm

    I have nominated you for the Beautiful Blogger Award. Should you wish to accept, please go to my site and follow the instructions. Congratulations!

    • Karen Chandler
      May 22, 2012 at 9:19 am

      Thank you, Candace! I have skipped all but the first award I received last year. They are fun, but I have a busier schedule now. Thank you for thinking of me!