A few years ago, a childhood friend on St. Simons Island gave me a hydrangea she’d propagated from her own plant in her yard. I was home visiting, so I brought it home to middle Georgia and nurtured here on the farm until it took solid root. I put up some hideous plastic fencing around it to keep it safe until it got past its first year, and for the past couple of years it has bloomed magically in shades of brilliant purple, violet, and blue.
I clipped it back earlier this spring and stuck the clippings in a large pickle jar to see if I could create several smaller plants from these prunings. I think it has finally taken root, since I see new growth on the leaves.
Today, I’ll try my hand at transplanting these rooted stems into their own containers with fresh potting soil. I’m hoping to plant some more of these on the farm in other locations – namely, out in the butterfly garden. Butterflies are attracted to hydrangeas as nectar plants, and hydrangeas are a great choice because unlike annuals, they live for years and are fairly low-maintenance plants. I found a helpful resource, and can’t wait to get started with my hydrangea expansion project. I plan to leave them in containers until late summer or early fall and see how they are doing before making the decision to put them in the ground.
I’m learning new things about plants all the time, and I’m particularly excited about propagating this hydrangea that was a gift from a childhood friend.
Common Threads 