Hydrangea Heaven

Hydrangeas in full bloom

My hydrangeas are nearly bursting out of their pots.  I didn't think that growing them in pots would be so easy but they have bloomed reliably for me every year.  But because they have gotten so large, I'm wondering if next year will be the year for me to unpot them and divide them.  I'll have to figure that out when the time comes.  For now, I am enjoying the abundant flowers. 

Hydrangea bud in mid-April



Hydrangea bloom closeup



       As I've said in the past, I do absolutely nothing to them.  No pruning, no fussing.  This particular hydrangea is called "Endless Summer"--you can find it just about anywhere including the gardening section of your local big box store.  I have it in a pot that's about 18 inches high and approximately the same diameter.  It has overwintered just fine.  I just add a little organic fertilizer and some Vermont Compost container booster mix early in the spring and what you see in the picture at the top of this post is what I get.  Heavenly.

Bookshelf:  Container Gardening Books

From Seed to Salad



Mesclun Mix



One week after planting seeds



I've been harvesting lettuce like crazy and it's been great.  There's nothing like going out on my deck and cutting what I need for the day's salad.  I was able to start cutting lettuce leaves about five weeks after I planted the seeds and it seems like the more I cut, the more they grow. 

Once the weather gets really warm, the lettuce will "bolt", or go to seed and that pretty much marks the end of the growing season.  However, because it's a cool weather crop, I'll be able to replant in the fall--probably around mid-September.  So if you didn't plant any lettuce this Spring, I'll remind you that you'll have another chance when the weather cools. 

Ready for harvest



Bookshelf:  Container Gardening Books