Re: [SG] Hydrangeas

While we are on the subject of hydrangeas..My H. macrophylla 'Mariesii
Variegata' is blooming for the first time in five years (I've finally
figured out the trick, I think, but that's another story). I am surprized
to see it a dull magenta instead of the blue I expected. I wasn't aware it
was one of the pH sensitive types (have never seen it described as anything
but blue).

Can anyone tell me what's going on here? Do I need to get out the aluminum
sulfate?

Gerry

At 05:43 PM 6/16/99 -0400, you wrote:
>Pottsey,
>
>This is the nature of this plant - to flop.  You can cut the blooms, which
>do make nice bouquets and dry quite well, if you wait until they are mature
>to cut them.  But, you will not, so far as I have experienced, get more
>bloom.
>
>If you want to have both a fresh bouquet and then dried flowers, cut the
>stems the length you need them, remove the leaves and put them in a vase
>with about an inch of water in the bottom.  Let them stay there and when
>the water has evaporated, they should be nice and crispy and dry and will
>last for many months.
>
>You need to wait until they start to fade back to green a bit before
>cutting or they may simply collapse on you once the water evaporates - this
>is true for all Hydrangeas if you want to dry them - the flowers have to be
>mature almost to the point of fading.
>
>Best way to keep the flowers off the ground is to stake the plants early in
>the season or give them a nice girdle made of any kind of stiff wire
>fencing you've got...or even that heavy green plastic mesh
>fencing...attached firmly to stakes.  This is not too decorative initially,
>but they soon grow to cover it so you can't see it at all.  If you try to
>stake now, you'll end up with a lot of broken stems...voice of
>experience...
>
>Marge Talt, zone 7 Maryland
>mtalt@clark.net
>Editor:  Gardening in Shade
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>
>> I have a question.  My Annabelle hydrangea is doing wonderfully!  Full of
>> beautiful blossoms and more to come.  However, some of the blossoms are
>so
>> large that they are almost touching the ground.  Should I cut them off?
>> BTW, they would make a beautiful bouquet.  By cutting them off, will that
>> help produce more blooms?  Any and all answers are appreciated.
>>
>> Pottsey
>> zone5, OH
>> (where we finally got some rain yesterday!)
>
>
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