Partying With a Magnificent Chionanthus retusus (Chinese fringetree)

Chinese fringetree flowers

We saw – no, the right word is experienced – this frothy Chinese fringetree in bloom in Natchez last year. Each year when it flowers, the people who own it throw a party in celebration. We’d missed the official party, but had a wonderful evening, and I was charmed by the tree. If I remember rightly, they planted it shortly after buying the house and it is ‘only’ around 25 years old. Continue reading “Partying With a Magnificent Chionanthus retusus (Chinese fringetree)”

A Hydrangea Colourfully Rings The Changes

Hydrangea 17th June opening from green to pink/blue
Hydrangea 17th June

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. Continue reading “A Hydrangea Colourfully Rings The Changes”