10 Years and Many Blossoms Later...

Six years ago, we inherited three nikko blue hydrangea plants.  They were first purchased for decoration at our wedding reception in 2000.  Our reception took place at my parent's home and our "theme" was blue hydrangeas.  The plants bloomed at our wedding, and with the aid of my mother and some plant acid, the blooms were the ideal blue-purple color.

When we moved south to a more suitable growing zone for the plants, my parents lovingly drove them to our new home.  We planted them along side our house and began the endless process of trying to replicate those blue blossoms.

It was harder than it looked.

That first year we went to a seminar at a local nursery on the care and maintenance of hydrangeas.  We learned that the direction and size of our yard may not afford the best sun to shade ratio for our plants.  They are planted in a row and the first plant, the one that gets the most sunshine, is noticeably the largest.  Due to life and other pursuits, we never did amend the soil with acid...mostly because our main goal became the pursuit of a bloom, any bloom...in any old color.

Each year we would think of a new way to winterize the plants.  These particular variation of hydrangea bloom off of the "old growth," so it becomes important not to disrupt the buds over the winter and to protect the plants against freezing.

We bought fencing and wrapped each plant...gently filling the bins we created with straw.  We gently handled each stem, arranging the straw--just so.

When that enormous amount of work didn't produce any results, we wrapped up the whole of the plants with fencing and filled them (less intentionally) with straw.

After a few years of that protocol, and nearly no change in bloom production, we gave up.  The fact we had two young children and a mess of "other things" going on, might have pushed the plants to very last of our concerns.

For two years we have just left the plants alone.  They are what they are.  We admire their beautiful green foliage.  We are suprised and happy to see one or two blooms on each plant.  They are always a light pink...perhaps a fuchsia.  We talk about the plants...wondering if they would be best served in another location in our yard.  We think about adding something to the soil.  Something else always needs to get done instead.

This year, as we have directed most of our energies inside--on making our house seem larger and de-cluttered--I hadn't made a loop around to all of the garden areas.  A few weeks ago, when I decided we needed to water and deflower my hostas (a family quirk...I do not like the messy nature of the hosta flowers so I cut them off.) I came across this bounty on our hydrangeas.

Each of the three plants has multiple (5 to 7) blooms.  I was enjoying the flowers and rich green leafs as I started to water.  Then, I spotted this.

And, it isn't alone.  On a separate plant, there is another blue blossom.  Lighter in color, but still blue.

For reasons that are perhaps only understood by my husband and myself, those two blue blossoms bring tears to our eyes.  I stood in our yard, moved to tears by their beauty and all they symbolized.

Ten years later, after much fussing and growth, in spite of poor soil quality and lack of sunshine, after trips to seminars, and lessons from experts along with multiple, exasperated cries of "I give up," there they were: two blue blossoms.

With great joy and much love, I celebrate today.

Happy Anniversary, Mr. Work in Progress.  I love you, and give thanks for the life we are working to create.