Happy Monday GPODers!

Today we’re in the garden of a frequent Garden Photo of the Day contributor, Carla Zambelli Mudry from Malvern, Pennsylvania (here are just a handful of Carla’s past submissions to check out: Celebrating Spring With Carla, A Perfect Combination: Daylilies and Hydrangeas, July in Carla’s Garden, and Carla’s Garden Tour). This time, we’re getting a peak at Carla’s impressive hydrangea collection:

And just like that, hydrangea season has returned in all its glory, almost rivaling the initial flush of roses which immediately preceded the hydrangeas opening. This garden is definitely very heavy on hydrangeas, and that’s 100% on purpose, because I fell in love with them in gardens in the Hamptons of New York. They are a surprisingly tough shrub, and when I realized that one summer while visiting my sister, I just thought it was so beautiful that I wanted that feel in my garden as well.

I have so many different kinds of hydrangeas, including Japanese and Korean mountain hydrangeas that I have lost count. I just love them, and I also have them as anchors in large pots that come back after the winter no problem. Not all of the hydrangeas are open yet, and the deer and I had words this week when they ate some of the Limelight (Hydrangea paniculata ‘Limelight’, Zones 4–8) blooms. Happy Gardening!

The color of bigleaf and mountain hydrangeas can vary greatly, depending on the makeup of the soil they are planted in. To learn more about that, check out this article that covers some common hydrangea color misconceptions: How to Change Hydrangea Color: pH Isn’t the Only Factor. As Carla sent over several gorgeous blue blooms, I can only assume she has acidic soil with plenty of aluminum for those vibrant blue shades.

One of those incredible mountain hydrangeas Carla was talking about, sporting another incredible blue hue.

Lastly, a variety so distinct I finally feel confident giving it an ID. With its iconic bloom and foliage coloration, it can be no other than ‘Miss Saori’ bigleaf hydrangea (Hydrangea macrophylla ‘Miss Saori’, Zones 5–9).

Thank you for sharing your collection, Carla! Always a treat to get an update from your garden.

Have a garden you’d like to share?

Have photos to share? We’d love to see your garden, a particular collection of plants you love, or a wonderful garden you had the chance to visit!

To submit, send 5-10 photos to gpod@taunton.com along with some information about the plants in the pictures and where you took the photos. We’d love to hear where you are located, how long you’ve been gardening, successes you are proud of, failures you learned from, hopes for the future, favorite plants, or funny stories from your garden.

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