“Proven Winners” Hydrangeas Are Winning Gift for Mother’s Day
Want the perfect Mother’s Day gift? Something that will give lasting pleasure year after year?
We have the perfect gift.
Yes, artistic bouquets of roses, ranunculus, lovely lily of the valley or pillowy pink peonies do spark a jolt of happy oxytocin. But it is a momentary pleasure – beauty at its peak but evanescently temporary.
However the hydrangea plant with its big bouncy balls of color, -confident pinks and showy blues and even that celery-like celadon pigment that suddenly has become popular- is a gift that will keep on giving.
After all, moms never want their children to leave. It is a cycle of life that is foisted upon us and we grudgingly accept. But the fact is mothers miss seeing their children regularly.
The hydrangea plant leaves something of the child with a mother.
It roots and grows. It comes back.
So even when busy adult children can’t make that phone call or visit, a mom can look at her hydrangea plant from her kitchen or bedroom balcony and feel good.
However, it is imperative that you buy a good hydrangea plant from a reputable grower.
We love “Proven Winners.”
Supermarket offerings are hit and miss and often a few months later, a plant will suddenly plop on the ground and wilt into oblivion. (We all have the stories of the supermarket plant that lasted, but it is the minority).
Not “Proven Winners.” Their plants have the one thing that we all crave and rarely get. Reliability. It is the rare company whose name accurately reflects its brand and philosophy.
Nor is the company advertisers of Flower Power Daily. We just appreciate how it’s run and want to share that with you.
Their plant development facilities – just like any food or medical research facility – invest in that necessary research so that your Mother’s hydrangea plant delivers.
The plant breeders, many with degrees in botany and science, put in years of work so that the hydrangeas are bred to have extra strong stems.
“Conventional hydrangeas, especially smooth hydrangeas, can have weak stems that droop after a rainstorm. We won’t release a hydrangea to our catalog unless it can hold those big flowers up high in any condition,” explains Natalie Carmolli, a hydrangea expert from “Proven Winners, adding how the hydrangeas are also bred to have beautiful deep green foliage, be very disease-resistant, and have bigger flowers (often in unique colors) that are supported by sturdy stems.
Hydrangea plants are also great gifts for several kids to share as a gift. Plant a few of them. Create a cluster. Or just have one.
They can also be in a planter indoors. Of course, this gift is for a mother who has a garden. Those who are in a facility or unable to care for a plant, it’s a great idea for a floral bouquet. But if someone has a garden, it takes only a little space to have all this pleasure. Also, don’t forget that caregivers, aunts and anyone who has shown motherly love can and should be recognized. Because as we say at Flower Power Daily, no act of kindness is ever wasted.
So what hydrangeas should you consider this year that are in garden centers?
Great Performing Hydrangeas
Let’s Dance Blue Jangles – This creates circular (1-2’), blooms on old and new wood, so it will bloom all summer long, readily turns blue with available aluminum in the soil. Great little container plant that will give mom a burst of color right away. This is part of a series of seven reblooming bigleaf hydrangeas – all marketed under the Let’s Dance name.
Sometimes you will notice that the term dwarf is used as a description for plants. This refers to the total size of the plant – it’s habit, it’s normalcy. So when a plant is dwarf, it means it is much smaller overall than the conventional variety. You wouldn’t call a shrub dwarf if the plant, in this case, a bigleaf hydrangea, wasn’t traditionally a much larger size. So when breeders create a dwarf plant, they want the flowers to stay big and showy, but also want the plant to able to fit in spaces the larger version wouldn’t, like pots, small-space garden beds, or tucked into existing gardens where space is at a premium.
Therefore, when getting something for mom or anyone else, consider their available space and then find the perfect hydrangea.
Invincibelle Wee White, Invincibelle Limetta, and Invincibelle Spirit II are also the smooth hydrangeas that mothers like. They are like bonnets swaying in the wind.
These are so easy to grow – they bloom on new wood and have that wide hardiness range, from USDA zones 3 up to zone 8. They also can tolerate a part sun/part shade environment.
Furthermore, there is one in this series called “Invincibelle Spirit Campaign for a Cure” which of course is a soft pink. Each sale raises money for breast cancer so if your mom may have had a struggle with this disease, it would add more meaning to your gift. The message is what flowers teach us. We are resilient and can rebloom.
Lime Rickey is for the mom that likes high-style. This hydrangea reminds me of the famous quote by designer Dorothy Draper. Be “classic with a dash of daring.” This series has that wonderful light lime color perfumed with subtle pink touches.
Last but not least, since these plant development facilities take years of tinkering to perfect hydrangeas ready for market, there are also two others to look forward to for next year. One is called “Wee Bit Grumpy.” Which is what I will be if my son doesn’t think of getting me one of these hydrangeas.
Jill Brooke is a former CNN correspondent, Post columnist and editor-in-chief of Avenue and Travel Savvy magazine. She is an author and the editorial director of FPD.