Hope Reflected

Encouragement and Hope from God's Word

hydrangea Archive

Thursday

25

August 2016

5 Shade Gardens to inspire your yard

Written by , Posted in Gardening

I love anything green in the garden; the more foliage the better! Shade gardens are a great place to showcase your love for green. Wes and I love the cedars and hostas in our yard, and we’re always looking for more garden inspiration. Cue this curation of shade gardens from my Outdoor Living board on Pinterest!

Here are 5 shade gardens for your yard:

1. All the perennials. This shade garden features several different perennials, including hosta varieties, a Brunnera, a Heuchera, and a Pulmonaria. There are a few pops of colour, and even a wrought-iron accent for climbing plants. The garden border is clean and simple.

shade gardens featuring hostas

img src threedogsinagarden

 

2. Natural stones and hostas. I love a garden with some natural stone work throughout. Featuring hostas, ferns, and other green leafy vegetation, this shade garden will grow with time. It’s a rewarding experience when you watch your plants mature from the first season you plant them. Over time, hostas will spread and expand (you may even look at dividing them and transplanting after a few seasons).

shade gardens featuring lots of green

img src diyandcrafts magazine

 

3. A versatile garden and stone pathway. The stone pathway in this patio scene is lovely! Also lovely? The versatility in this shade garden. A great way to create interest is by potting your plants — small shrubs, hostas, even boxwood, — do well in urns or pots, and they allow you to move them throughout your garden.

shade gardens with stone pathway

img src havetid.blogspot

 

4. A proper border. I love a good stone border along the garden. An established border around a garden helps keep everything in its place, and actually draws the eye in to the contents of the garden. This garden has several varieties of hostas, as well as some hydrangea, and some cement urns. Talk about a sanctuary for small animals and birds!

shade gardens with stone border

img src indulgy

 

5. Backyard oasis. My Mum and Dad’s back shade garden has to be one of my most favourite places around. Their garden is carefully curated, and is a wonderful place to relax throughout the Spring, Summer, and Fall months. Complemented by a mature cedar hedge, emerald cedars, and some well-manicured boxwoods, Mum and Dad’s garden features several varieties of hostas, ferns, hydrangea, and a beautiful lilac bush.

shade gardens with stone steps

img src HopeReflected

For more inspiration, be sure to follow along on my Pinterest for lots of gardening and outdoor living ideas!

 

Wednesday

30

March 2016

Hydrangea Plants

Written by , Posted in Gardening

Every Friday, Wes has been known to bring me a beautiful bouquet of flowers. This past weekend, we celebrated Easter with some beautiful Hydrangea blooms. We have two Hydrangea bushes in our outdoor garden (which usually bloom mid-summer). Since it’s too early for blooms outdoors, these indoor plants were a welcome addition to our kitchen, brightening up the space with their voluptuous shape and vibrant colour.

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The name Hydrangea comes from the Greek “Hydro“, meaning “Water“, and “Angeion“, meaning “Vase“. As you know, Hydrangea plants love their sun and they love their water. The plants have two flower arrangements: One is the mophead flower (pictured here), and the other is the lacecap flower.

pink and white hydrangea.

The Hydrangea plant was originally discovered in the 1730s by an English-American botanist, John Bartram. Bartram became King George III’s botanist and is widely known as the “Father of American Botany”.

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While white is the most common colour of Hydrangea, in some species the plant can also be pink, purple, blue, and even green. Regardless of the hue, Hydrangea blossoms remain some of my favourite. Not only is the flower itself beautiful, but these plants have healthy green leaves, which make for a lovely contrast.

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