A Time to Persevere

Hot and sticky today with forecasts of more to come, and it's time to retreat from the garden. The grasshoppers, the white flies, the molds and fungus will thrive, while I neglect my duties in favor of air conditioning and icy drinks. 

Our summer will test the mettle of both plant and gardener, and the weak ones die or go dormant. I make quick forays in the mornings and evenings, yanking a few weeds and checking on the status of my tomatoes and green beans. I hastily tour other parts of the garden. It's green and lush, but on closer inspection I find leaves that are wilted and pitted with tiny holes. Something has been chomping on the foliage, leaving jagged edges. Weeds are sensing my flagging efforts and are putting on a new offensive, determined to take my paths. I won't let them. I will get them with the hoe this Saturday morning. Early.

Normally, people in my part of the country visit the Gulf this time of year. It is part of our culture. In the summer — and other times, too, if we can get away — we go to the beach. Now a great sadness has descended, and we wonder if the oil has reached our favorite spot. I heard that it has come upon Orange Beach. I am glad I spent a few days at Orange Beach earlier this year, before the greatest oil leak in history began its deadly flow into the Gulf. I sigh when I look back at my photos. It seems that summer has no redemption this year.

But I am an optimist. Gardening has shown me the resilience of the earth, and it has demonstrated resurrection and new life. It has taught me to take up my trowel and persevere, for there will be joy in the morning. 

Enough with gloom! Here is what is happening in my garden, today:

Trees are prospering, invigorated by the deep, soaking rains we experienced all spring.

The woodland garden is a quiet retreat.

Hydrangeas are still beautiful.

And a few other flowers bloom, too.top: Caryopteris ( blue mist spirea). Clockwise from above: Asclepsias (butterfly weed); Crepe myrtle; Gardenia; Speedwell

May you never lose hope. May you have courage, and may you have eyes to see things that are beautiful and good.

Happy summer!  Deborah 

Hydrangea 'Lady in Red'

Hydrangea macrophylla 'Lady in Red' is one of my favorite hydrangeas. It is a low maintenance shrub and has several noteworthy characteristics.This Lady in Red is growing in the woodland garden.

Its blue-green foliage has distinctive red veins and stems, and they are stunning when backlit by the sun.

Blooming in late spring, the lace cap flowers are attractive to bees and butterflies. They open pinkish white to bluish white, depending on the soil ph, with the blue flowers blooming in more acid soil.  The 'Lady in Red' hydrangeas in my woodland garden are located in an area with rich, sweet soil.  The black earth here is one of the main things that prompted me years ago to develop a garden in this area. (If you want to read the story of the making of my woodland garden, click here.) The flowers on these shrubs are pink. I have more Lady in Reds on the other side of the property, where the soil is more acidic, and their flowers are blue. All of the flowers will change to rose or burgundy as they mature. Beautiful!

 

'Lady in Red' will grow about three to five feet tall and wide, and they look great grouped together or with other woodland plants. They should be planted in partial shade in moist, well drained soil in zones 6-9. Avoid hot summer sun and keep watered during dry spells. We had a drought a couple years ago, and hauling buckets of water down into the woods to keep them watered was a chore! But it was worth it, for they are mildew resistant and generally easy care plants. They don't require much fertilizer, maybe just once in early spring with an all purpose fertilizer. Because of the nice mounding habit, pruning is optional. However, any pruning for shaping should be done after flowering and before July to August, since new flower buds are set on old wood. 

The lovely leaves of 'Lady in Red' turn shades of reddish-purple in the fall, stretching enjoyment of this great shrub well into three seasons.This fall, 2009 photo shows Lady in Red as it is developing its autumn colors.

My 'Lady in Red' hydrangeas are so beautiful this year I want to plant some more!

You may also like my previous post Oakleaf Hydrangea for All Seasons.