This climbing hydrangea usually claims its glory in late spring when it’s covered in lace-like umbrellas of sweetly-scented blooms. They sprinkle their lovely perfume about the backyard just as we are usually opening the pool – the most magical and hopeful time of the year. Their show lasts a good while, it not usually being too terribly hot at that point to quickly wilt and diminish the delicate blossoms – and then the handsome foliage remains lush and green for the duration of the summer. They will appreciate regular watering if conditions get hot and dry (there is such a long way for the water to travel, and the vines wind their way up a good forty feet).
Happily, their show doesn’t end then – this one likes to go out in a column of fiery sunlight, golden yellow flames licking all the way up the length of its commingling with an ancient pine tree. When the afternoon sunlight pours through the bright foliage, it could be argued that this is a greater show than its late spring bloom. Fall has its powers too, and they are not to be underestimated.
Some might say there is more magic and enchantment to be found in the unexpected beauty at hand this late in the season. I don’t have a strong argument against that, and it is always the present moment that seems to have the most pull.
