Just before they die off for the winter they have their most spectacular show. Faded edges, crinkled old flowers, their faces a little worse for wear.
The October sun catches them in their last glory. Having been down this path before, I know there will be one more beautiful phase as the papery petals fall off those spiny bones and the skeleton appears.
They will turn all spidery and golden first. And then they will fall apart and wither into the earth. Wrinkly, lined and speckled.
Sounds like some one I know.
Remember to be in with a chance to get a signed copy of the little book and a selection of cards leave a comment here And if it was you who bought 2 copies of the book on Sunday 12th October please contact me!
Browse more in the Petals gallery here
So sweet & lovely … sounds like someone I know!
Congratulations on your book, Catherine..such a treat of wordw and images for your lucky readers…Sending you best wishes from Oz!
Love,
BARBARA
XXX
The spidery and golden phase is my favourite. Or maybe the spiny skeletal one. Actually, no, I love the slightly burnt flock wallpaper stage too. And to think how hard I worked to hack ours out of the earth when I first came to my garden! Thanks for this post. The second shot from the end with its smudged dynamism is my favourite. It's a lovely thing to linger on before going to bed. 🙂
Beautiful! You write such beautiful prose to go along with such lovely photos!
I love this time of year for the hydragea displays, I find my navigational system alters to where they are pinpointed in my environment. Each coloured plant is a different landmark. Funnily enough (or probably just because of my nerdy ways) I felt so much more respect for the plants once I understood the science behind the colour…. so much is dictated by the acidity of the soil and the presence of aluminium. The same plant in a different place could be a completely different colour. Just like us I suppose 🙂
Thank you, Catherine, for these exquisite hydrangea close-ups. I am a huge fan of hydrangeas–they are all over our property, and like your commenter above, they vary with the PH of the soil. I can't get enough of the richness of the colors and when I see a plant with three or more shades on one plant, I am thrilled!
A work of art each picture of each petal!