Hydrangea or Crape Myrtle in the Neighborhood

We used to have two little purple flowered hydrangea trees on either side of our Capitol Hill patio garden. I used to keep them trimmed back so they wouldn’t grow too much taller than the fence. The Capitol Hill neighborhood was filled with a variety of crape myrtles or hydrangeas - especially surrounding the Library of Congress where I worked for ten years. Rather than drive over to the park for a morning walk yesterday we thought we would stay in our northern Virginia neighborhood. It was a tad cooler and cloudier so we didn’t need the protection of the tree shade in the park. So it was the urban jungle tour. I hadn’t really paid much attention to the hydrangeas - or crape myrtles - all along the route, but was struck by the carpets of petals that covered the sidewalks. The heavy rains helped that along and it looked a lot like the aftermath of cherry blossom season. So as we walked I noted the different colors - white, pink, no purple, and almost red. Close up the flowers look even more interesting. Sometimes I miss our old neighborhood for these reasons, but I’m glad we moved for a lot of others. But it hardly matters where you live to notice the beautiful flowers that surround you. So which is it - hydrangeas or crape myrtles? 

Hydrangea for the Wall Vase

We have two hydrangea bushes in our small patio garden. They are really too big for the space so I have  cut them down several times. But if you cut them down at the wrong time of the year, they pay you back by not flowering. And that’s exactly what happened last year. Early on we would get both pink and blue flowers that were quite large and long lasting. This year it seems the flowers are primarily pink and they are quite small. But since there are so many flowers this year, I decided to cut a few of them and fill up the wall vase. We generally get a bunch at the grocery store to keep the room lively, but when our own garden has flowers we obviously prefer to use those. The hydrangea always seem to droop during the day in the heat and sun, but come back around later in the day. I thought I could cut some of the droopy flowers and they would revive in the vase. I was mistaken again! The flowers and leaves continued to drop two days later. So I plucked out the droopy stems, and left but one that seemed reasonably good. Maybe later today I’ll try again. But this time I’ll wait until the evening when they look more alive. 

The Supreme Court Garden

All is quiet by the Supreme Court after many weeks of activity, visitors, camera crews, protestors, and locals passing through. It is amazing how this city turns from such peak frenzy to near silence. It is not unusual to capture photos without a body in them - just the building. And that was the case this week. What sticks out now are the well manicured gardens that surround the well known buildings. All around the Supreme Court are new garden spaces, and in particular, the one on the South side that faces the Library of Congress is quite extensive and unexpected. The highlight is the beautiful hydrangea that are simply lovely against the dense background arrangement. It must be the white against the dark, but they remind me of the hydrangea we had in our Wisconsin garden. There are plenty of options and spaces on Capitol Hill to explore, sit, and contemplate - especially if you live in a place without any greenery or patio. Fortunately we have our own private garden, but still enjoy these all the same.