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Strawberry Tree

Since moving to Washington, I have discovered a great number of new trees. One of my favorites is the Strawberry Tree ( Arbutus unedo ). It is a four-season tree with semi-glossy evergreen leaves and lovely mahogany bark. In autumn, clusters of white flowers appear, bearing a resemblance to Lily-of-the-Valley flowers. And then there are the little fruits, which resemble strawberries that appear at the same time as the flowers. I am not sure why, but I have only seen a few fruits on ours. I don't know if birds are getting them before I see them or what happens. The fruits are said to be edible but not very tasty (to humans). This year, our tree is loaded with flowers, the most I've ever seen. Bees absolutely love it and so do the hummingbirds. The flowers usually continue to appear straight through winter, and it can be blooming even during the coldest periods of winter. Aside from the fact that I have not seen much of the colorful fruits, the major negative note is the fact tha
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Close-up on hydrangeas

The hydrangeas have been blooming for about 6 weeks now but they are beginning to phase out. Some of them will continue blooming through the summer. That is, if we ever get rain again!

So, as Norma Desmond said, "Mr. DeMille, I'm ready for my close-up!"

"Angel's Lace"



"Big Daddy" - he didn't bloom at all last year. There has been 3 or 4 blooms this year. Sometimes it just takes them a while to get going.



"Charm" - this has been one of the prettiest this year and full of blooms.



"Mme Emile Mouillere" - another favorite, this one is almost white and ages to a light blue.



"Purple Tiers" - this year we are calling it "Pink Tiers".



"Sister Therese"



"Snowflake" - a gorgeous oakleaf.



This is Hydrangea Aspera, somewhat of a novelty and one that you don't see often. When we were going through our hydrangea madness phase and thought we had to own every cultivar known to man, we picked this up at a wonderful nusery near Atlanta that spealizies in hydrangeas (Wilkerson Mill Gardens). Thinking that it probably wouldn't make it, it has proved us wrong and seems to be perfectly happy right next to the towering pecan tree that shades most of our hydrangeas. The bloom looks not unlike any other lacecap but the growth habit it totally different - very tall (about 6 ft.), upright and a tad lanky. The leaves are fuzzy and thick. I once read that it is sometimes referred to as the "Space Cadet" hydrangea



"Mariesii Variegata" has beautiful variegated foliage which eclipse the blooms. This hydrangea has been spectacular in years past (take a look at this photo) but lately it has been going downhill. Lots of dieback and limited blooms. In fact, this is the first bloom I've seen this year



And last but not least, the dependable "Nikko Blue" with a spider friend. This is the most common hydrangeas available in nuseries. Here is a new bloom -


And here is a faded one-
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  1. BenJuly 1, 2009 at 1:09 PM

    very nice Hydrangeas I only wish I had such an assortment of them as you do they are very lovely, and great photos of them as well.

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  2. GrannaJuly 1, 2009 at 1:20 PM

    Beautiful assortment of hydrangeas. The heat and lack of rain in Tupelo is hurting all of my plants!

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  3. UnknownJuly 1, 2009 at 1:28 PM

    Just beautiful! I have a bit of a hydrangea fetish, which you've just made worse! Can't wait to get a couple of these that I don't have yet!

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  4. Rob (ourfrenchgarden)July 1, 2009 at 1:31 PM

    Hello Phillip

    I'm just starting out on the Hydrangea bug. I bought only yesterday quercifolia 'Alice'.

    Your beautiful photos serve only to spur me on.

    Rob

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  5. Dirt PrincessJuly 1, 2009 at 2:12 PM

    Well yours are looking amazing!!!!! This drought is really hurting all of my flowers. We haven't had rain in 36 days. My hydrangeas are all so wilted, I keep watering them but they need water from Mother Nature!

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  6. GailJuly 1, 2009 at 2:22 PM

    I love them and would have them here...except it is not a happy place for hydrangeas! I adore the lace caps. I hope it rains soon Phillip...the high temps can't have helped the hydrangeas! We do need the rain here, too. gail

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  7. LesJuly 1, 2009 at 3:30 PM

    Hello my name is Les, and I am a Hydrangeaholic. I saw my first Aspera in England and it was nearly tree sized. I also keep a well worn copy of Wilkerson Mill's catalog in my desk as a reference. I am envious you got to go.

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  8. Catherine@AGardenerinProgressJuly 1, 2009 at 3:31 PM

    All beautiful, but I have to say I love 'Snowflake'. I wonder where I could fit one of those in? 'Nikko Blue' is so easy and dependable and mine always looks the best of all the hydrangeas.

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  9. C. C.July 1, 2009 at 4:53 PM

    Ooooh, I'm in love with Mme Emile Mouillere ...

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  10. Lisa at GreenbowJuly 1, 2009 at 6:32 PM

    You have some real beauties here Phillip. The pink and white bloom in the first photo is a stunner. It doesn't even hardly look like a hydrangea with those white edges.

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  11. AnonymousJuly 1, 2009 at 6:43 PM

    I could kill for 'Purple Tiers.' Our hydrangeas are just getting underway here in the Pacific Northwest. I was perusing the nursery today, gawking at the fluffy flowers. Talk about plant lust!

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  12. RandyJuly 1, 2009 at 7:03 PM

    Phillip,
    They really are beautiful. I was wondering what you've been up to, now I see. :-) Everything looks great.

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  13. LayaneeJuly 2, 2009 at 4:37 AM

    It is pouring here even as I write...I'll send you some. Your hydrangeas are lovely. Mine are just coming into flower. Can you get them to re-bloom if you deadhead?

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  14. Monica the Garden FaerieJuly 2, 2009 at 5:13 AM

    I like the purple tears, interesting to see something a little airier than those big full flower heads.

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  15. Roses and LilacsJuly 2, 2009 at 5:57 AM

    The hybridizers are really going crazy developing new cultivars. Yours are lovely. I like the nice blue colors you are getting. Hope you get some good rains. Difficult to grow hydrangeas during a drought.
    Marnie

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  16. Phillip OliverJuly 2, 2009 at 8:18 AM

    Hi all, thanks for the comments!

    Granna, maybe we should do a rain dance - reckon that would help?

    Rob, I don't have "Alice" but I hear it is a nice one.

    Les, I don't think there is help for your condition. I do urge you to visit Wilkerson Mill Gardens, it is gorgeous there!

    Marnie, hydrangeas sure don't like dry weather. Rain is needed badly!

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  17. sweetbayJuly 2, 2009 at 9:09 AM

    You have so many beautiful hydrangeas! I'll have to look for 'Snowflake'. Wonderful photos too!

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  18. ~~RhondaJuly 2, 2009 at 9:43 AM

    Thanks for sharing your lovely hydrangea photos. I put 'Snowflake' on my ever growing list of want-this-for-the-garden. ~~Rhonda

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  19. JanJuly 2, 2009 at 9:53 AM

    You really did have hydrangea madness...but well worth the trouble, I'd say! I love Mariesii Variegatae - but it's unfortunate it's not doing so well for you this year...it's so lovely with the white band of blooms around the inner nest of blue blooms. I have only just this year planted hydrangeas. My Nikko blue bloomed pink! Guess I need a more acidic soil. Happy 4th of July to you and yours!

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  20. Julia EricksonJuly 2, 2009 at 9:05 PM

    These are lovely. My hydrangea are just coming into bloom now.

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  21. AnonymousJuly 3, 2009 at 12:07 AM

    I just love the Mme Emile Mouillere. It is beautiful. I've never been much into hydrangeas, but you may be changing my mind!

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  22. AnonymousJuly 3, 2009 at 6:38 AM

    Beautiful flowers, Phillip! I spent about a half hour at Green Springs yesterday just photographing the lacecap hydrangeas. They were stunning---the same plant had all pink, then blue and pink, then lavender and blue blooms...all on the same plant. Wish I had more room to grow them in my townhouse backyard. I just posted some shots of the hydrangea blooms on my blog yesterday. http://www.cindydyer.wordpress.com

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  23. CurtissAnnJuly 3, 2009 at 5:01 PM

    Once again you show me what I have--the Nikko Blue. Profusely blooming. I also have several lace-caps, but they bloomed a month ago, died back, bushes came on again, but no flowers. Maybe yet, though! Thanks for the lovely photos and info.

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  24. AnonymousJuly 5, 2009 at 4:07 PM

    I long to have huge hydrangeas. Yours all look so healthy. I'll enjoy yours for now.
    Donna

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  25. Dee/reddirtramblingsJuly 5, 2009 at 5:30 PM

    I love Hydrangeas, but have the best luck with the paniculata form and with 'Annabelle' a native. The others don't like our winter cold. Too many extremes I guess. It's nice I can enjoy yours. Thank you.~~Dee

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  26. Dig, Grow, Compost, BlogJuly 6, 2009 at 8:28 AM

    Phillip, it's fascinating to see the wide range of hydrangeas you have. All of them are so beautiful. Even though the Nikko Blue is so ubiquitous, it looks like it's worth having, especially for a beginner like me. I've just started growing them a couple of years ago and although I really love them, I hate how they wilt in our summers. Do you experience the same thing?

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  27. Phillip OliverJuly 7, 2009 at 8:08 AM

    Hi Jean, hydrangeas will wilt sometimes even if you water them. They don't like the heat but they usually will perk back up in the evening hours when it cools down. Unfortunately, there is just no way around that.

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  28. AnonymousJuly 7, 2009 at 8:29 AM

    Hi Phillip!

    I just answered your question on my blog:

    I'm currently using a Nikon D300, but it's really the lenses that are the star in most of these photos! I shoot all my macros with the Nikkor 105mm micro. If you can't splurge on the D300, try the D40x, D80, D90 or even the new 5000 model---they're great bodies and much cheaper---but get the best lenses you can afford. I could have gotten this shot with a cheaper body and the same lens. Up until two years ago, before I got my D300, I was shooting with the Fuji S2 and S3 (which are Fuji chips in a Nikon body, actually). I moved up again to the D300 and haven't looked back. I love, love, LOVE this camera!

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  29. PamJuly 7, 2009 at 8:28 PM

    I just planted a snowflake (a tiny one) last fall - I can't wait until it gets a bit bigger and blooms - yours looks gorgeous!

    I'm with Les, I'm a hydrangeaholic too, and love, love Wilkerson Mills - it's where I ordered my snowflake.

    Have you tried any of the Teller Blue series - the lacecaps, like Blaumeise? I keep wanting to find more information about them, but it seems to be scarce (or I'm just looking in the wrong places).

    ReplyDelete
  30. Phillip OliverJuly 8, 2009 at 12:47 PM

    Hi Pam, I have not tried any of the Teller hydrangeas (or at least I don't think I have). You will love 'Snowflake', it is a beautiful hydrangea.

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  31. FightForKidsJuly 16, 2009 at 11:27 PM

    Wow! these are amazing pictures of the hydrangeas. What kind of camera did you use to take them?

    ReplyDelete
  32. Phillip OliverJuly 18, 2009 at 7:37 AM

    I have a Nikon D50. Thanks for visiitng!

    ReplyDelete

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