My hydrangea is in bloom this time of year, which makes for my favorite bouquets, combined usually with a rose or three in an old Mason jar on my dining room table. I’ve never had a hydrangea before–it blooms and blooms and blooms, in a huge bush that droops out over the little stone walkway around the side of the studio. It seems like an old-fashioned kind of flower, and I imagine people here, in this same place, cutting these blooms for years and years past.
Recently, members of a family that lived here in the past stopped by and wanted to see the farm. We got to talking about the studio, and I asked them about its history. I assumed it had been built on top of the cellar as an apartment, but that was not its original purpose. They told me it was built as a storage building! It was only later remodeled into an apartment. And now a health department-approved kitchen. It’s always fascinating to find out these little tidbits!
brookdale says:
Very pretty arrangement…I like the rose for an accent, never would have thought of that.
My hydrangea blooms white in the late summer, and then the blooms turn a lovely dusty pink. Must be a different kind than yours. May we see a pic of the bush in bloom sometime?
On June 26, 2013 at 6:44 am
ibpallets (Sharon B.) says:
I too, love the history of a house and knowing the people who had cared for it in the past.
On June 26, 2013 at 7:27 am
saitisntso says:
Lovely and I can’t help to notice the glass empty cake holder. I see mine everyday on the table. Waiting for fall to roll around. I take mine for walks around the kitchen trying to find it a new home after it gets bathed of dust and cat hairs. Always looking for a safe place and back on the table it goes.
On June 26, 2013 at 9:00 am
NancyL says:
I understand you can change the color of the hydrangea blooms depending on what you add to the soil.
I’ve been one of those visitors from the past – I have so many wonderful memories of my grandparents’ home in Elmira that it is almost a tradition to drive by their house with relatives still in the area. The last time I went, at least 15 years ago, we had a very pleasant talk with the current tenants. I hope to visit again, even if it would be about 60 years since I last saw it as a child! And as long as I have reason to visit my childhood home in Florida, I will probably try to visit it one day.
Nancy in Iowa
On June 26, 2013 at 9:04 am
denisestone says:
How do you keep the goats from nibbling on the hydrangea? I thought they were toxic to goats. Hope you are having a great day!
On June 26, 2013 at 9:38 am
PaulaA says:
My favorite too! And those old blue mason jars are the perfect vase. Cut at the perfect moment, they either dry perfectly, or root!, Still trying to figure out when that perfect moment is, if I miss it they wilt on day 2.
I used to dry bunches every summer to enjoy until the nrxt, but then the cats decided they were the best cat toy EVER. They end up scattered all over the house, what a mess. My husband said I had to quit drying them…maybe just one more time…
On June 26, 2013 at 11:17 am
Audrey324 says:
LOL at the “best cat toy EVER”. It’s a darn good thing my cats can’t read…they’d totally give that a try.
On June 26, 2013 at 12:43 pm
mamajoseph says:
Beautiful, I love hydrangeas, but I’ve never had any luck with them. This inspires me to try again. You seem to be pretty good at that…
:hug:
On June 26, 2013 at 12:48 pm
MMHoney says:
urnJust add a little info. My mother always put jar lids in the ground and the white hydrangea would turn blue. These lids were the kind used on old mason jars with rubber rings….(the secret was the zinc content of the metal)
On June 26, 2013 at 3:04 pm
anne.smith says:
Hydrangeas turn color depending on the pH of the soil. If your soil is alkaline it’s blooms are pink, acid the blooms are blue. You can add things to the soil to change the pH, but it is easier to have them in pots and adjust the pH in a smaller environment. I live in Zone 4, and none of the white varieties change color to pink or blue. I wish they would. Here is a little more about their color. https://www.hydrangeashydrangeas.com/colorchange.html
On June 27, 2013 at 1:08 am