Have you seen the Forever & Ever hydrangeas? They come in a variety of colors—even red! I know, I know. After I was all prissy a few days ago talking about the antique roses in my garden, I’m all aflutter now about a hybrid now. I don’t think this means I’m fickle so much as flexible.
Harry felt sorry for me one Sunday when I was despairing over all the planting I had to do and installed these for me next to the woods. We’re trying to tame the edges into something a bit more civilized and less toxic (poison ivy!)
These hydrangeas are supposed to be repeat bloomers. Just deadhead the spent blooms and new ones shoot right up to take their place. What a lovely idea for the garden and yard. I’ll let you know if it works as advertised.
In the meantime, I thought you might be interested in some other useful sources about hydrangeas:
Changing the Color of Your Hydrangeas – This website gives very specific directions about how to turn your hydrangeas from pink to blue or from blue to pink.
All About Hydrangeas – A very useful site that includes information about propagating, planting and fertilizing, pruning and a very good description of the needs of different types of hydrangeas.
I wish I had read these sites before I let a well-intentioned helper prune my hydrangeas in the fall. We had NO flowers the following year. She also “evened out” some hollies in front of the house, meaning that two that are supposed to be tall on the ends are now stubby and short. And my spiral topiaries are a disaster.
IMPORTANT LESSON FOR TODAY: Read up about pruning and institute a NO PRUNING OR TRIMMING policy with any yard and garden helpers. This year things have gone much more smoothly.
That’s it for now. It’s been a long week and I have much work to do this weekend.
Ciao!
–Bumblebee (Robin)
Robin
If you happen to look at my posts regularly, you know that I was in crisis mode this week. Too much to do, blah, blah, blah.
I am sorry to complain, but that really wasn’t the point of the post. Most of you seem to have adequately captured the point, which I won’t dissect here.
Sadly, my brother-in-law, Todd, did not. He wrote to tell me to stop "whinnying." (I think he meant whining). He emailed me instead of posting a comment because I think he has figured out that I now have a policy of deleting all his RUDE or MEAN comments so that he doesn’t give other people ideas about being mean on this very polite forum. Of course, I will allow any clever, insightful and, especially, complimentary comments to remain. Post one today!
Anyway, the crisis has passed, at least for now. After delivering the fourth report in two weeks and completing a questionnaire draft at 10 p.m. last night, I earned a stretch of free time this afternoon to do really important things like getting the oil changed in my car and letting the lady at Nordstrom convince me to buy an OBSCENE amount of makeup.
I have every good intention to pull those weeds in the vegetable beds and mow the newly rain-soaked lawn tomorrow. I also have some interesting plant news and some cool miracle fertilizer challenge photos to share.
In the meantime, here are some other quick updates:
- Sarah, our youngest Papillon at 1.5 years, goes through the occasional bad patch with steps. I’m not sure why, but she usually can go up to the second floor in a flash without a second though and run in and out of the house using the couple of stairs at each doorway. But sometimes she has a little bit of a mental block. Example: She will climb all 14 stairs to the second floor but stop…at…the…very…last…step and cry. She can’t bring herself to go up the last step. She will go all the way back down and cry at the bottom of the stairs. Another example: She currently has a fear of going up the TWO STEPS from the garage into the house. Sophie (the other, older and wiser Papillon) clearly makes the effort to encourage her by standing at the top and barking and even demonstrating the up and down stairs movement. No go. Sarah high-tails it to the back door to get into the house instead. If you have a clue as to the reasons for this addle-brained behavior, please email me.
- While I was in Annapolis, nearly an hour from here where I have to go to get the oil changed in my fancy-schmancy SUV, Verizon decided to no longer recognize the $400 Treo phone I purchased from them. While I was on a pay phone at the Barnes & Noble typing in a 26-digit security code and going through other STUPID security procedures, my 16-year-old son was in a panic because I wasn’t here when he got home from school. Was he worried about the safety of his dear mother? No. He actually CALLED HIS DAD at the office all worried because he wanted to know WHAT I WAS COOKING FOR DINNER! I won’t tell you what I’m thinking about this.
- The squirrels have discovered my birdfeeders. They went through a $10 bag of premium nut mix meant for the birds in about the four hours I was getting slathered with makeup by the impossibly pretty woman at Nordstrom. Two lessons for me: Don’t buy $10 bags of bird seed and 2) Get a proper pole with hooks and a baffle to keep out the squirrels and raccoons.
- Todd, the aforementioned brother-in-law, writes to me that he is gleeful at the prospect of going to Las Vegas next week. It’s not because he’s going to lots of great shows and will be bellying up at the buffet at the Parisian (although I bet he will). It’s because he THINKS that on the trip he will find me a clever present to top the taxidermy frogs, toy Papillon (he and his wife are having the should-we-or-shouldn’t-we debate) and Elvis snowdome that I have already sent to him. (I am a very considerate gift-giver.)
Okay, that’s it. My plants are squeaking for some water and I have a zucchini pie to make for the ravenous teenager.
Ciao,
–Bumblebee (Robin)
Robin
If you happen to look at my posts regularly, you know that I was in crisis mode this week. Too much to do, blah, blah, blah.
I am sorry to complain, but that really wasn’t the point of the post. Most of you seem to have adequately captured the point, which I won’t dissect here.
Sadly, my brother-in-law, Todd, did not. He wrote to tell me to stop "whinnying." (I think he meant whining). He emailed me instead of posting a comment because I think he has figured out that I now have a policy of deleting all his RUDE or MEAN comments so that he doesn’t give other people ideas about being mean on this very polite forum. Of course, I will allow any clever, insightful and, especially, complimentary comments to remain. Post one today!
Anyway, the crisis has passed, at least for now. After delivering the fourth report in two weeks and completing a questionnaire draft at 10 p.m. last night, I earned a stretch of free time this afternoon to do really important things like getting the oil changed in my car and letting the lady at Nordstrom convince me to buy an OBSCENE amount of makeup.
I have every good intention to pull those weeds in the vegetable beds and mow the newly rain-soaked lawn tomorrow. I also have some interesting plant news and some cool miracle fertilizer challenge photos to share.
In the meantime, here are some other quick updates:
- Sarah, our youngest Papillon at 1.5 years, goes through the occasional bad patch with steps. I’m not sure why, but she usually can go up to the second floor in a flash without a second though and run in and out of the house using the couple of stairs at each doorway. But sometimes she has a little bit of a mental block. Example: She will climb all 14 stairs to the second floor but stop…at…the…very…last…step and cry. She can’t bring herself to go up the last step. She will go all the way back down and cry at the bottom of the stairs. Another example: She currently has a fear of going up the TWO STEPS from the garage into the house. Sophie (the other, older and wiser Papillon) clearly makes the effort to encourage her by standing at the top and barking and even demonstrating the up and down stairs movement. No go. Sarah high-tails it to the back door to get into the house instead. If you have a clue as to the reasons for this addle-brained behavior, please email me.
- While I was in Annapolis, nearly an hour from here where I have to go to get the oil changed in my fancy-schmancy SUV, Verizon decided to no longer recognize the $400 Treo phone I purchased from them. While I was on a pay phone at the Barnes & Noble typing in a 26-digit security code and going through other STUPID security procedures, my 16-year-old son was in a panic because I wasn’t here when he got home from school. Was he worried about the safety of his dear mother? No. He actually CALLED HIS DAD at the office all worried because he wanted to know WHAT I WAS COOKING FOR DINNER! I won’t tell you what I’m thinking about this.
- The squirrels have discovered my birdfeeders. They went through a $10 bag of premium nut mix meant for the birds in about the four hours I was getting slathered with makeup by the impossibly pretty woman at Nordstrom. Two lessons for me: Don’t buy $10 bags of bird seed and 2) Get a proper pole with hooks and a baffle to keep out the squirrels and raccoons.
- Todd, the aforementioned brother-in-law, writes to me that he is gleeful at the prospect of going to Las Vegas next week. It’s not because he’s going to lots of great shows and will be bellying up at the buffet at the Parisian (although I bet he will). It’s because he THINKS that on the trip he will find me a clever present to top the taxidermy frogs, toy Papillon (he and his wife are having the should-we-or-shouldn’t-we debate) and Elvis snowdome that I have already sent to him. (I am a very considerate gift-giver.)
Okay, that’s it. My plants are squeaking for some water and I have a zucchini pie to make for the ravenous teenager.
Ciao,
–Bumblebee (Robin)
Robin
