Early Summer Hydrangea Blooms

My hydrangeas are all in various states of bloom, except for the climbing hydrangeas, which have no blooms at all. The climbers will probably take a few years to establish themselves before they set any flowers at all. Meanwhile, the Limelight is forming panicles of tiny green buds, the Phantom and the Wim's Red (aka Fire & Ice) are starting to open their flowers, and the Nikko Blue now has at least two mopheads that are opening and coloring up nicely.

H. paniculata 'Phantom'

H. paniculata 'Wim's Red'

H. macrophylla 'Nikko Blue'

I'm really enjoying the unusual reddish details of the Wim's Red. The wine colored stems are strikingly lovely and the bright pink details on the flowers remind me of icing on a wedding cake. I ended up planting this hydrangea in the ground two weeks ago, after learning that it can be expected to grow quite large but can be comfortably situated where it will receive full sun. This is fortunate, because I've just run out of sizable shady spots in my yard. Now it sits out in front of the house, where neighbors and passersby will be able to enjoy its inevitable show of color.

The distinct lack of shade on my property is the one and only reason why I haven't snatched up at least one of those fantastic double-flowered Double Delights hydrangeas that I've been drooling over at the Home Depot. They've had cultivars Peace (white with a tendency toward baby pink) and Expression (vintage shades of pink to blue) in for a few weeks and every time I'm over there I poke through them as though I'm going to buy one—and then I don't! Aaaaaugh! It's just not fair! Sigh.

For now, I shall be content with what I already possess ... and strive to maintain it all!

Love that blue.