Friday Flowers

Better late than never.  I know I say this as each new flower blooms in the spring and in the summer but this is my new favorite flower!  A few years ago I attended a cut flower conference in Memphis where one of the speakers raved about green flowers in general and about this flower in particular.  Limelight hydrangeas.  

Over the last three years I've looked for them at several nurseries and never had any luck finding them.  Nurseries could order them for me.  Or would have them later in the season.  But since I rarely visit these places, I never made it back for them.  

A few weeks ago my mother-in-law mentioned that they had driven by Whitton Farms and seen a row of absolutely beautiful flowers from the road that appeared to be hydrangeas, in full sun.  The next day my friend Jill posted a picture of herself standing next to this row of flowers.  I knew these had to be limelights and it didn't take long for her to confirm it.  By the time I called my mother-in-law to let her know, she already had two of them planted in her garden.  Needless to say, the greenest thing around my place was me-much the color of one of my favorite zinnias-Envy.  

Imagine my surprise then when my in-laws showed up for the Monster's birthday party with Robert's early birthday present in tow...four big limelight hydrangeas!  Happy birthday Robert!!  When my mother-in-law mentioned the nursery had to order twelve of them to get her four, I jumped on the rest.  By the time she called them there were seven left and she dropped them off at the farm yesterday.  

I am absolutely thrilled at the prospect of bringing these green beauties to market next year!  Assuming I can keep them alive in pots long enough for the ground to be soft enough to use a shovel to dig a few holes!  Come on rain.