I took this photo late in the evening last night before putting the house to bed. My lacecap hydrangea is covered in beautiful blossoms after a dubious beginning. As you can see from the burned leaf edges, it suffered twice from killing frosts in March. This woody shrub blooms on last years growth so I didn't cut anything back and I am glad I didn't. I shall cut it back quite severely after the blooms die off this year and give it plenty of time to put out new growth for next year's flowers.
I will harvest this seed pod soon to encourage more blooms on my poppies. I already have quite a few for planting in the fall or early spring. These flowers are giving me great pleasure every time I look out any of my rear windows. They are responding to my nurturing too.
5 comments:
Your hydrangeas are going to be lovely. Wonderful shade of blue. I'm crossing my fingers and toes, hoping to have some this year. Last year, my husband thought he'd help me with pruning and cut back all the hydrangeas--to the ground. Of course, the stems and leaves grew back and looked healthy last summer, but not a single bloom. Lucky for him that I've mellowed as I've gotten older. Isn't it amazing how your poppies are already in the process of providing you with seeds for next year! Gotta love Mother Nature!
Pam -- Your Lace Cap will be more beautiful than ever this year. I cut mine back to the ground in the past to get a better job when having the house painted and I still enjoyed the lovely foliage with no blooms. I prefer shrubs that bloom on this year's growth like Limelight. But the good thing is the deer don't like Lace Caps.
Yes, Mother Nature knows just what to do in providing a gardener with seeds for next year. I planted all of my saved Nasturtium seeds on June 11th and they already have their second set of leaves. I think every one I planted came up!
xo, Rosemary
Mother natures blues and greens take my breath away and are my two favorite yarn colors to use when I needlepoint. Our blue hydrangea is to shaded so we get little bloom but a very tall bush. The Oakleaf hydrangea on the other hand is just as shaded but each year is covered with bloom. Apparently they have different growing needs. Lovely Rosemary!
Franki, I adore oakleaf hydrangeas and I'm wondering why I don't have one? Lucky you!
xo, Rosemary
I have Hydrangea and red poppy envy, yours are both so beautiful. Your photos are wonderful, I feel like could reach out a pick one of each. Red poppies always remind me of my mother along with Hollyhocks. Hollyhocks and poppies do quite well where I'm living but Hydrangeas not so much.
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