I’m lusting after summer today so… hydrangeas! These flowers belong to the genus of the same name, Hydrangea, but there are actually over 75 species. They’re native to Asia and the Americas, with the greatest species diversity in Asia. They can be shrubs, small trees, or a liana (long stemmed woody vine).
They bloom from early spring to late autumn, however I’ve always seen them in June and they come with the rainy season! Not that I’m complaining, I love the summer blooms so much.
The flowers act as natural pH indicators; blue when the soil is acidic and pink when it is alkaline. This is due to the presence of aluminum ions, which are available or tied up depending on the soil pH and change the pigment in the flower. However, this ability is mainly held by the H. macrophylla and H. serrata cultivars. The color of most other species is not affected by aluminum and thus cannot be changed or shifted.
There are two flowers in hydrangeas. A small fertile flower rests in the center of larger, sterile, and colorful sepals. Wild populations tend to have few or none of the sepals, whereas cultivated hydrangeas are the opposite.
Did you know that the petals of the hydrangea can absorb water? Cuttings tend to dry out very quickly due to the large surface area of the petals. A wilted cutting can be rehydrated by immersing its stem in boiling water, then immersing the petals in room temperature water.
Also, these are my own photos from last year’s blossoms :)
