Hydrangea happenings

I have 6 or 7 hydrangeas in my garden. I love them. There is something about them. They remind me of the old South...not sure why. I can remember my grandmother having two HUGE hydrangeas in her yard, they were the old powder blue ones. My mom rooted me a piece off of it, and it is now growing in my garden (I forget to get a picture of it). I can't wait for them to get bigger, right now they are all babies. I don't know all the names of the hydrangeas I have...I just call them pink, blue, purple, etc.!

Hydrangeas are interesting plants. You may purchase a blue one, plant it and it may change to pink or white. It is easier to change one from pink to blue than it is from blue to pink. To change a bloom from pink to blue you must add aluminum to the soil. White hydrangeas cannot be changed to pink or blue (or at least that what they say.). My neighbor does have several hydrangeas in her yard that are deep purple. They were all the same type, from the same nursery. On one bush the majority of the blooms are purple, then there are several hot pink blooms, and a few white. Strange right? Here in South Alabama it is hard to grow a "true" red hydrangea. It is just too hot. You can purchase newer types of hydrangeas that are not supposed to change colors once you plant them. This one is hot pink. It is a mophead hydrangea. I bought it last year. I was worried about it for a while, but now it is doing great. (If you notice all the pine straw/leaves piled up in the corner of the fence, this is from all the rain washing through my yard)

This one is burgany/pink lacecap hydrangea. It is really pretty. I purchased it from the local flea market. They have a wonderful selection of inexpensive plants.

I am really excited about this one. It is a deep purple! I rooted it myself! My neighbor gave it to me. They have tons of them.

This one is an oakleaf hydrangea. They are one of my favorites. I also purchased it from the flea market...I believe it is white.

Light pink mophead