Month: June 2013

Impulse Purchase – Hydrangea “Glowing Embers”

Hydrangea macrophylla "Glowing Embers"
Hydrangea macrophylla “Glowing Embers”

A trip to Weston Nurseries for some rhododendrons for the rhodie walk through the woods — a multi-year project, and I found room for just one more thing; this beauty.

I have it sitting in the pot near rose Graham Thomas until the yellow rose opens.  Graham may be too much of a gentleman for these flaming colors.  Most of the pictures that I see show this hydrangea to be a darker pink; maybe it will change as it matures but I was promised that the throats stay yellow-green for contrast.

I was also told that it was dwarfed but Monrovia shows it as a 6′ plant.  Other sources say “compact plant”, so I hope they are right.  I have room; I just don’t need more shade.

I’m adding a couple of bonus photos, pictures of rose “City of York” from my guest room window for a friend who isn’t on Facebook.

Rose City of York
Rose City of York
Blossoms, City of York
Blossoms, City of York

 

June is here

Gertrude Jekyll
Gertrude Jekyll

I mowed the last of the bugleweed (ajuga) in the lawn as the blossoms were over and the pollinators had moved on to the rhodies.  The smell of lily of the valley was replaced by the more subtle scent of iris and now the roses begin. Gertrude is the first of the roses to put on a display.  A serendipitous conjunction of a junk rose (I think it’s a climbing rootstock where the display rose died) that I’ve never completely killed, though I’ve tried, and a couple of varieties of honeysuckle that I grow up the fireplace make for a very pleasing combination.  The more solid yellow honeysuckle is the one I grow for scent.

Junk rose in the honeysuckle
Junk rose in the honeysuckle

It’s way too early but I’ve given up on culling blossoms on the tomato plantTomato blossomings.  This early blossoming phenomenon is something that started last summer when I first used the LED lights to grow the plants.  Both years, I’ve snipped off any small blossoms that were present at planting and still the plants want to bloom.  But last summer was uncharacteristically hot and early.  We’ll see if this is a mistake.

 
Tomato blossoming