Flower Market Finds: Hydrangea

I visited the flower market today to prep for a wedding this weekend and one of my oldest and dearest friends joined me to pick up some blooms for her birthday soiree tonight. She chose pink. She loves pink. She picked up some bubble gum pink hydrangea and Sarah Bernhardt peonies, probably some of the very last of the season, lucky girl.

sarah bernhardt peony

She commented on how fabulous the hydrangeas are and how the variations of color are so amazing. I agreed and told her that the pH content of the soil will determine the color. There are many resources to learn more about adjusting the color of your own hydrangea plants and while I would love to cultivate my own unfortunately my apartment in the city doesn't allow for it, sigh.

Until then I will depend on the growers of the cut hydrangea I often use to capture the beauty of the shades. Along with the usual pink, blue and purple hues that are common to this part of the country there are amazing shades of green and red as well as many combinations of all these colors.

Hydrangeas are versatile used in arrangements and lend themselves to more lush, romantic, and feminine designs. They are great combined with other blooms and perfect on their own. Luckily they have become a readily available bloom for most of the year, imported from Holland in the spring through the fall, grown locally in the summer months and imported from New Zealand during the winter months. South America, specifically Ecuador, grow a few varieties all year including white, pink, purple and blue with head sizes ranging from average to jumbo.

Happy Birthday to my dear friend Sheila and I hope that you continue to enjoy life and take some time to stop and smell the hydrangea.

all images by Anne