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July 19, 2011

WW: Hydrangea

Hydrangeas are a favorite flower of mine.  I especially love the blue colored variety.....I think it's in my blood, you see, they're on the island of Sao Jorge in the Azores, where my dad is from and they just about COVER the entire island.














So whenever I buy a Hydrangea to plant here at home, I have five at the present time, I buy them in 'blue' but they all change to shades of pink.....every time. 













I know it has to do with the soil.  I've heard throwing a few rusty nails into the hole before planting will keep the blue color, tried it, doesn't work.

So for now, it's all about pink Hydrangeas on the farm.

Linking up Wordless Wednesday at:
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Thank you for taking time out of your busy day to leave a comment, I love to hear from you!. Have a fantastic day!

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20 comments:

  1. TexWisGirlJuly 19, 2011 at 4:27 PM

    oh, but they're a vibrant beautiful pink! :)

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  2. Heather GrossJuly 19, 2011 at 4:37 PM

    You need to add aluminum sulfate to the soil several times through the growing season. This will turn them from pink to blue.

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  3. ~Kim at Golden Pines~July 19, 2011 at 5:32 PM

    Mine are blue, but I bought pink...Isn't that funny? I love them too, they are the crown in my flower garden!!

    I hope you're enjoying your week!!

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  4. AnnaJuly 19, 2011 at 5:39 PM

    They are beautiful! I will have to remember them when I plan my landscaping for next spring!

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  5. Little HatchlingsJuly 19, 2011 at 5:54 PM

    These are lovely! I wonder why they change their colors from blue to pink...that's very interesting!

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  6. An Authentic LifeJuly 19, 2011 at 6:02 PM

    I love em too Nancy and enjoyed seeing them frolicking everywhere while in Sonoma County last week.

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  7. AnnieJuly 19, 2011 at 6:17 PM

    look at those bright colors!! So cheery!

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  8. MichelleJuly 19, 2011 at 6:48 PM

    One of my favorite flowers. I have to admit that I like the blue variety.

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  9. aliciaJuly 19, 2011 at 7:06 PM

    Interesting. I LOVE hydrangeas but have never tried to grow them. Just recently I learned that you can buy them white and die them in water. I thought that was cool. Wondering what is in the soil changes your color? lol.

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  10. ReenaJuly 19, 2011 at 8:16 PM

    I have the same problem! But these are beautiful!

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  11. SavvyJuly 19, 2011 at 8:31 PM

    Those blooms are beautiful! Is it true that the acid levels in the soil change the hue? I think I heard that somewhere, but can't remember where.

    I haven't been by before, and I'm glad I hopped over. I'm your newest follower, have a Happy WW!

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  12. annJuly 20, 2011 at 4:06 AM

    My granddaughter is using Hydrangeas for her wedding in Sept Needless to say it is her favorite flower

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  13. Good Girl Gone GreenJuly 20, 2011 at 5:24 AM

    Pink is so pretty!

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  14. Lisa @ Two Bears FarmJuly 20, 2011 at 5:28 AM

    So pretty! My hydrangeas are blue/purple.

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  15. UnknownJuly 20, 2011 at 5:44 AM

    Hello new blog friend! I am your newest follower via the blog hop :)
    It would be great for a follow back! Have a lovely day,
    ~meg~
    http://agemmoment.blogspot.com/

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  16. AnonymousJuly 20, 2011 at 12:34 PM

    We have mostly pink ones at this new house but I did find one purple one hiding behind a pink one the other day. My favorite hydrangeas are actually the oak leaf ones. So beautiful!

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  17. Valentina@baby quiltsJuly 21, 2011 at 10:50 AM

    The blue color is determined by the pH of the soil - it should be low (5.2-5.5). To obtain a blue hydrangea, you can add aluminum sulfate as it lowers the pH of the soil. Another method for lowering the pH is to add organic matter to the soil such as coffee grounds.

    However, I believe that hydrangeas have a mind of their own and could be very stubborn - sometimes they'd rather die than dye :D

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  18. Misty DawnSJuly 24, 2011 at 11:39 AM

    Beautiful! I love Hydrangeas!

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  19. StaceyJuly 25, 2011 at 5:20 AM

    Hi there - your other commenters have hinted at the issue of hydrangea flower color. It is aluminum in your soil that changes the flower color of hydrangeas (more aluminum=bluer flowers, less aluminum=pink flowers). Most all soils contain plenty of aluminum, but it is only available for the plants' use in more acid (i.e., pH of less than 7.0)soils. So you can encourage blue flowers simply by adding aluminum sulfate or by changing the pH through the addition of lime. Nails are an old-fashioned "remedy" for this but you'd need a seriously dangerous mulch of nails to really effect the change. Of course, you can also simply enjoy your lovely pink hydrangeas!

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  20. CassyAugust 10, 2011 at 7:12 AM

    I love Hydrangeas too. But I have only seen the blue ones not the pink one. Nice to see it in your post!

    Cassy from Guitar Made Easy

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Thank you for visiting and leaving a comment....I LOVE to read them all. Differences of opinion are ALWAYS welcome when written respectfully. I reserve the right to remove comments that contain vulgar language, name calling, hateful references or do not pertain to the topic of the post itself. Have a peaceful day:)