There are other varieties of hydrangea too -- vines that climb fences and the sides of houses, lace caps in colors ranging from white to various shades of blue, and the fall blooming hydrangeas with their ombre effect.
While Ottawa Canada has its tulip festival and Rochester NY celebrates it's lilacs each year, Cape Cod has not had a festival to honor it's iconic hydrangeas. Until now. This summer from July 10th through the 19th, hydrangeas will be on full display with public tours of private gardens, lectures and other activities throughout the entire 70 mile long stretch of the Cape. The Cape Cod Chamber of Commerce is organizing the event which benefits Cape Cod non-profit organizations. To learn about the flowers themselves, vintagegardens.com has extensive information about the history and care of these beauties, including some mythbusters. Did you ever hear you can alter the color of hydrangeas simply by changing the chemical content of the soil? No so, according to Vintage Gardens. It should be noted that the tough winter of '14 took its toll on hydrangeas throughout the Cape. Some plants did not survive and those that did offered a mostly sparse bloom last summer. This winter is proving to be even snowier and colder. The plants get some protection from a blanket of snow at the base now blankets the base, however it remains to be seen how the exposed stalks which hold this summer's buds will deal with the extreme cold this month. Forecasters say it is the coldest we've seen in 15 years. Ouch. And not just for the plants. Here's hoping the hydrangeas come through this and provide us with a much-needed burst of color for the Inaugural Cape Cod Hydrangea Festival in July. You might also like: Hydrangeas Battle Back from Rough Winter Dreaming of a Blue Christmas on Cape Cod
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Maureen Green
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