Hydrangea year three

My hydrangea plant is still alive. This will be the third year, and we didn't think it would survive the first summer because it is so dry here and the hyrdangea loves moisture.

It's been hibernating inside all winter, and putting out new growth and is waiting the move to outside in a couple months.

I guess the woman at the florist shop knew what she was doing when my daughter requested a plant that would do well in Santa Fe's climate.

The continuing saga of the "high desert" hydrangea

In 2009 for Mother's Day, my daughter and her family gave me a hydrangea plant. It was delivered from a florist in Santa Fe, after my daughter requested a plant that would do well in our dry high desert climate.

What I got was a hydrangea - a plant that needs cool weather and a LOT of moisture. (Definitely not xeric!)

It was lovely:




...but as time went on the challenge became just keeping it alive. It became a mission. All the leaves fell off, but in the early spring I noticed new little leaves. Could it be saved? I put it in a "cool" place on our front portal, and I watered the thing every single day. It got more leaves - definitely not florist-shop quality, but the darn thing was alive:



This week I noticed this:


We have FLOWERS! Kind of anemic and scant, but FLOWERS! The hydrangea lives!

(Stop laughing, Raymona!)

Victoria's pictures

My six-year-old grand-daughter Victoria asked if she could take some pictures of my flowers.

These are her pictures:





THIS picture of a prickly pear cactus was taken outside our yard on our untamed property:







VICTORIA:


THE INFAMOUS HIGH DESERT HYDRANGEA:

My high desert hydrangea (For Raymona)

Raymona has been laughing about this since last year. On Mother's Day 2009, my daughter contacted a florist in Santa Fe, and asked them to send me a live blooming plant for Mother's Day that would do well in the climate in Santa Fe.

We have summers that are hot and dry. So -- they sent me a hydrangea -- which loves cool wet weather. Raymona thought this was the funniest choice for Santa Fe - and even funnier that a local florist would not know better.

I watered the heck out of that plant all last summer, and kept it in the shade of our front portal. In the fall all the leaves fell off and the darn thing looked dead. But I brought it indoors and have continued to water it all winter.

Well ... it is coming back to life... and it looks like it is going to be healthy. Maybe by Mother's Day 2010 it will be blooming again. I will tell my daughter so she doesn't have to buy me another Mother's Day gift.

MOTHER'S DAY 2009:



TODAY:

Sad looking little hydrangea.

My daughter and son in law gave me a hydrangea plant for Mother's Day. They ordered it from a florist in Santa Fe and asked for a plant that grows well in our high desert / low humidity area.

So..the florist sent a hydrangea - which I found out later does NOT like sunshine and loves a lot of water. Perfect for Santa Fe, right? *rolling eyes*

So it became my challenge. I put it in a shady place and watered it every day. The thing looked good all summer. I noticed a week ago that it was putting out dozens of tiny new leaves, so I got quite drastic and chopped off every single one of the old leaves to give the new ones a chance to get all the water and nutrients.

Looks pretty sad right now, huh? But I think the outcome might be a good one. I'm watching you, little plant. I think you're going to flourish.

My Mother's Day Plant:

When we got home from the Eldorado Flea Market today, this hydrangea plant was waiting on our front doorstep -- from my daughter, my son in law and my grand-daughter:



Oooooh, I love potted plants!!!!