I expect the maple to go through several “wardrobe changes” each fall, but the Hydrangea surprised me. The blooms passed from vibrant pink, to faded fuchsia, blush and soft green. The clustered flowers fade slowly over weeks instead of days.

If you squint just a little, the clusters look like tiny butterflies resting before flight. Their petals are as soft as a butterfly as well.

I admired these plants for years, amazed at the variety and color.  They’re large shrubs so they’re not well suited to small garden spaces.  Now that we have the space, I’ve gone a little crazy.  We planted three Nikko Blue last spring, then followed up with four more in pink (seen below).

Hydrangea Fuchsia

We planted the newest ones under our living room window.  I have one hydrangea in an enormous pot on the patio. It lost its blooms earlier in the season. I used the dying flowers to make a dried bouquet for my sister’s costume in October.  The blue flower clusters also faded fast. This beautiful specimen, however, continues to delight.

Hydrangea Pink

Hydrangea green

You can learn more about these beautiful plants at All About Hydrangeas.