Hydrangeas
The Apple Tree Garden houses my random collection of hydrangeas. Some were bought from plant sales, while others were grown by me from cuttings. My summer garden tends to be too dry to grow hydrangeas with confidence, but I keep a watchful eye out.
Mauve Hydrangea
Some compact low growing mauve hydrangeas started life cruelly at Mooseys stuck in pots. Hydrangeas appreciate frequent watering, and the Moosey pots often go without. I planted them in the Apple Tree Garden, close to the lawn edge. It's a delight to walk past and see their stunning coloured flower-heads. These hydrangea shrubs are small and compact, with interesting foliage - perfect accents for the edge of the border.
Creamy White Hydrangea
Creamy white hydrangeas have a semi-shaded position in the Apple Tree garden, underneath the old apricot tree. I also grow a blue lacecap in here, one with variegated leaves. Funny to think that it grew from a small cutting and is now so robust. These two shrubs sit side by side, and as my pruning regime varies from year to year so does their flowering style. Oops.
Summer Hydrangeas
On the opposite side of the grass path some newer hydrangea shrubs, planted in 2010, are just getting established. They look gorgeous, and the variegated Elm tree above provides great semi-shaded conditions. Their colours are a bit of a mixture - let's call them pinky-blue!
hydrangeas and nicotiana - from the archives
From the Archives
This is one of the early photographs of the Apple Tree Garden hydrangeas, taken about 1998. There have been many pruning and watering sessions since, and there's no room now for the giant Nicotiana sylvestris plants. But don't worry - they pop up in other parts of the garden.
Over the years I've kept on adding compost, organic matter, and mulch to the soil here. Watering isn't as much of a worry now as it was when the Apple Tree Garden was new.