I've come to appreciate shrubbery in the garden, late in life. Plant breeders everywhere are scrambling to improve a lot of the old standards, as well. Consider the humble spirea of days gone by. It now rivals most perennials for it cascading bowers in early July. Hydrangea, once the white annabelle, now comes in an array of colours and forms, which you can artificially alter, just by tinkering with the soil ph.
Besides the wonderful flowers of the shrubs, leaf colours are a constant source of contrast and beauty throughout the season. My barberry and purple smokebush shrubs are a wonderful maroon background for a host of contrasting perennials throughout the season.
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| Pink spirea |
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| Euonymus |
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| Blue juniper |
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| Purple leafed Smoke bush |
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| Standard Smokebush - first blooming season. |
This wonderful golden smokebush with its brilliant lime green shading stands out in the garden, and I can only see it improving as it matures - what a vibrant little showoff.
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| Showy pink hydrangea |
And that is about all I have to say for today.
Musings and meanderings from the Musical Gardener.
Have you tried the Endless Summer hydrangea? They come in 3 colors now and are spectacular. There is no worry about when to prune as they grow on this years and last year's growth. They bloom most of the summer and the blooms are a nice size. I have many hydrangea but these are my favorite. They have been on the market for a few years, and just introduced the Bella Anna. Well worth any extra cost, although I have gotten a nice size bush for less than $20.00. They grow very fast in the right soil.
ReplyDeleteMy mother-in-law had an hydrangea that was not very spectacular, but her caregiver fertilized her flower garden this year with I'm not sure what. But the huge blooms are an incredibly rich perrywinkle blue this year. Never has she seen such color and size. So your comment about ph might be the reason.
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