Wow...is it is March already?!?! Then spring can't be far away! We are all excited because shipping has started and we are thrilled to send you the best product we have ever produced! Our greenhouses are bursting at the seams and our coolers are jammed with products from all over the world and they were all grown just for you! This is absolutely our favorite time of year!

With over one hundred new items, we know we have something that is perfect for your outdoor living area. One of the plants for which we have really expanded our selection is hydrangeas. Over the last several years there has been an explosion of new varieties to hit the market and it appears there are even more in the breeders' pipeline. Hydrangeas have always been a Southern staple but recent breeding has made this species a "must have" for Northern gardeners too.

Mophead Hydrangeas (Hydrangea macrophylla) have always been revered for their huge, snowball blooms made up of hundreds of little tiny blooms. Their ability to bloom in different colors, based on the pH of the soil, is a very unique trait. In a slightly acidic soil they can produce flowers in the cobalt blue range, one of the hardest colors to display in a garden or landscape. Southern gardeners and those in temperate locations like Nantucket and Cape Cod use hydrangeas extensively to give a cottage garden look while the rest of the country only dreams about the huge, colorful, beautiful blooms.

In the last ten years the world of hydrangeas has been turned upside down by the discovery of hydrangeas that bloom on primocane branches, which means "on the current year's growth." This discovery, plus the development of plants with exceptional cold-hardiness traits that can withstand temperatures in excess of -20°, has led to all kinds of new varieties, many of which bloom repeatedly over the growing season. Now hydrangeas can provide spectacular color for many months and survive in growing areas where they have never been enjoyed before. The sole fact that the newer varieties rebloom makes them far superior to their predecessors - even for those gardeners who have always enjoyed hydrangeas. With the new primocanes, even though the first wave of buds may be lost to freezing temperatures, there will be more flowers forthcoming for the entire growing season. These advances have moved hydrangeas from a specialty plant only available for select gardeners to a main stream plant that can be grown across the nation and provide dramatic color in the landscape for over three months!

The first releases were Endless Summer™ and Blushing Bride™. Both of these bloom and then rebloom on first year wood and are cold hardy as far north as zone 4. These were the first two hydrangea varieties that could be grown from Minnesota to the Gulf Coast, from New England to Seattle, and all points in between. Endless Summer™ is a classic mophead hydrangea that exhibits the changeable bloom color under acidic (blue) or alkaline (pink) conditions. Blushing Bride™ is a white flowering cultivar that blushes either blue if in an acidic condition or pink if in an alkaline condition as the blooms mature. When you mix these two varieties together, your landscape will be stunning with the brilliant color of Endless Summer™ and the clean white blooms of Blushing Bride™!

Two of the newest reblooming hydrangea varieties to burst onto the scene are Penny Mac and Mini Penny™. Both of these varieties are named after Mrs. Penny McHenry, who dedicated her life to her hydrangeas and founded the American Hydrangea Society. Mini Penny™ has a smaller growth habit and both display the classic mophead blooms and have color pH sensitivity. Both of these varieties are also cold hardy to -20° and are durable landscape plants for all parts of the country.

Other types of hydrangeas offered include lacecap varieties like Variegated Mariesi, Midnight Duchess, and Princess Lace which exhibits interesting two-toned blooms. Plus, we have the colorful Lady in Red™ Lacecap variety which adds deep red coloring to your garden most of the year. Another outstanding variety is Limelight Hydrangea. The blooms of this paniculata variety start out a light green color, change to white and then mature to a bright green color before fading to pinkish-mauve. This metamorphosis occurs within a span of three months and each plant will have multiple blooms in various stages of the color changing process at one time! The resulting color explosion will rock your landscape in late summer when you need a color burst the most. The 10-15 inch tall blooms will add a different texture to the landscape and can be seen from over 100 feet away!

A couple of other hydrangea resources we recommend that you visit are the American Hydrangea Society’s website and HelpfulGardener.com which has all types of useful gardening information. All of the varieties listed above can be purchased through Cottage Farms Direct's website. Regardless of where you live and no matter what your soil type, it is time for you to consider trying one of the greatest advances in flowering shrubs this century. You might be the first one in your neighborhood to grow these exquisite shrubs that will have everyone asking you what they are and where you got them!

Hydrangea Lady In Red - 3 piece ‘Lady in Red’ Hydrangea has lacecap flowers that open a pinkish white and turn a lush burgundy rose as they mature. The foliage is rich reddish-purple in the fall with distinctive red stems and veins throughout the growing season.

$29.95

Limelight Hydrangea - 3 piece 'Limelight' brings an exciting and unusual hue of green to the garden. The long, conical blooms literally glow as they change to white and then mature to a bright green color before fading to pinkish-mauve. Each plant will have multiple blooms in various stages of the color changing process at one time!

$49.95

Hydrangea Penny Mac 'Penny Mac' will bring masses of medium blue to light pink (depending upon soil pH)flowers into your garden until first frost. Reblooms throughout the season and flowers on new wood. Named for Penny McHenry, founder of the American Hydrangea Society.

$12.95

Hydrangea Endless Summer - 2 piece Huge blue or pink blossoms all summer long, in even the coldest climates! Most hydrangeas bloom once and are finished for the season, and most perform their best in southern climates. Endless Summer is one of the new generation hydrangeas that will bloom on first year wood and repeat bloom throughout the summer

$25.95

Thought for the week!

~ James Douglas, from Down Shoe Lane ~