Recently one of my blogging buddies, Laurie Graves, mentioned that she’d be interested to see how a hydrangea might change colour as it aged. I didn’t have the sequence of the flower she admired, but was inspired to share this instead.
A little context first: to get to our favourite pie shop, my sweetheart and I have to pass this hydrangea. You might not notice how floriferous it is from my first shot, because the flowers blend into the foliage by starting off green, then open to dusky shades of pink/purple/blue. Your guess is as good as mine whether the flowers open blue or pink, and how they change as they mature. Each flower seems to have its own trajectory.
There are so many how-to posts with advice on ‘encouraging’ your hydrangea from pink to blue that I was intrigued by this plant. Not all hydrangeas are able to change from pink to blue, but those that do can be influenced by increasing the soil’s acidity (the more alkaline the soil, the pinker they will be; the more acid, the bluer).
Either this hydrangea hasn’t read the posts or it has a secret underground apothecary of lime and aluminium sulphate to variously draw on. Plants are marvellous things, so I don’t rule this out.
By the 1st of July, the flowers are almost fully open and are on the pinkish side of purple.
If I was more of a scientist than a hungry pie consumer, my pictures of this sequence might be more orderly. Cropped the same. Coming from the same angle. Taken at the same time of day.
We’re told to make sacrifices for art, but there are limits. Letting your pie go cold or, even worse, allowing someone else to nip in before you and snap up the last green Thai pie while you dally over someone else’s hydrangea? Rather you than me.
Just over a week later, from this perspective the hydrangea is on the blue side of purple.
Eleven days later, it’s pink/lavender with just a little bit of blue. If you’re thinking this is a rather large number of pies, don’t judge me!
At the time of writing, you might hardly recognise it as the same plant. Autumn has turned it russet, uniformly so. Terrace house gardens don’t have room for many plants, but for me, the various moods and overall magnificence of this hydrangea more than justifies its space.
Postscript
Shared for Cee’s Flower of the Day.
Susan Rushton 
Hydrangeas really are a fascinating plant to follow through the year. Thanks for this study of the changes.
I love their mix of colours and not just a two- or three-minded one like this.
Laughing at you with your face full of pie. I’ve never had a green Thai one and am a bit dubious but I’m prepared to trust your judgement. And I’m a fan of hydrangeas in all their shades.
I had the same attitude, which meant I missed out on them for quite some time. They are chicken and vegetable, crafts bakery style, and quite spicy.
Sounds good. I’m a bit full this evening but I can come back…?
Not got room for a chicken pie after your dinner? I suppose that’s a good thing…
Not even cake ….shock, horror!
There is a park near Hot Springs, Arkansas, that has beautiful white hydrangeas blooming all over the place. We were there in late May one year and it was spectacular. I love the pink, purple and blue, but the white ones have a unique beauty too. (It’s Garvan Woodland Gardens. If you’re ever in that part of Arkansas, don’t miss it.)
Hello, fellow Texan! Another Arkansas place in which to find beautiful white hydrangeas is the Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art in Bentonville. Their grounds are absolutely gorgeous: art, trails, and plantings combined to perfection.
I haven’t been there but it sounds lovely. The best place I can remember seeing them is at the Sir Harold Hillier Gardens in Hampshire.
Hydrangeas bring back so many memories! They seemed to be everywhere growing up in the Southern US.
I’m glad to have brought back happy memories.
Oh my…I could look at those pictures all day. What a marvelous plant. Thank you for all the pics and dates!
I suppose this is the plant version of train spotting. đŸ™‚
Stunning. Thanks for sharing the appearance of the plant as it ages. I think I like the russet of Autumn the best. Possibly because I’ve never seen a hydrangea with such a vivid russet colour before, only dying flowers.
The russet stage is very striking. I’ve seen a few plants locally that are deep red in summer too.
I especially like the russet. I will say that I came upon some drying hydrangeas in October once, and I found them equally attractive. They were a light ivory with brown highlights (or lowlights, I suppose) and they really appealed to me. I suspect they were white when in full bloom; as lovely as these are, I do prefer the white.
I read today that hydrangeas are included on a tastemaker’s annual tea towel(?) which lists things he considers common. Common not being a compliment. I’m firmly on the side of the hydrangeas.
Oh. My. God. Thanks for the mention and thanks for showing me the stunning colors and changes that these remarkable flowers go through. Worth a lot of pie to get that sequence of pictures. Many thanks!
Thanks for reminding me to share them.
Gee, that is awesome! It is weird also!
I’m glad we are of the same mind.
I don’t think I have ever seen one with so many different colours. The pie shop sounds interesting, green Thai sounds delicious, chicken?
The ones we like best are chicken and vegetable and they are delicious. It’s The Real Thai Pie Company.
Yummy!
Nice
Thank you
They are stunning. Unfortunately mine did not bloom this year. I suppose I trimmed my bushes too much this year.
It’s easily done. All the ones that flower best round here are never cut back at all, so far as I can see.