Wednesday, March 16, 2011

Welcome to Tablescape Thursday

Vanilla Strawberry Hydrangea



This week my inspiration came from my shopping spree at Goodwill. Mind you, I was not looking for anything in particular....I just happened to see the prettiest napkins.....and they just happened to have hydrangeas on them.

Here are a few of my favorites!

 
These are Vanilla Strawberry Hydrangeas. I love these.....


 

                             
These are Rhapsody II....
Rhapsody II Art Print



These are Endless Summer.This one grows even if its buds have been damaged by cold.


Endless Summer™ Hydrangea


Just looking at these pictures I can smell these beautiful flowers.

A little info is always good.....


How to Plant and Care for Hydrangeas

Planting Your Hydrangea

Planting your hydrangeas in early spring or in the fall is ideal. When you are planting a hydrangea remember that the blooms and stems must be protected from strong winds and the hot afternoon sun. Avoid planting in open areas where strong winds could break stems. Planting on the eastern side of a building ensures that, in the afternoon, when the sun is at its hottest, your plants are in the shade.
Make sure your plant has good drainage. If the soil is too wet the roots might rot, and the plant will die. Incorporate a lot of organic matter, and an all-purpose slow-release fertilizer into the soil to give your hydrangea a strong start.

General Hydrangea Care

  • If you plant them in the summer, they need a lot more water in the beginning to establish the root system.
  • Most varieties thrive in full sun to part shade, as long as they are planted in moist, rich soil.
  • Water deeply once a week, and maybe more, if the weather is particularly hot or dry.
  • Hydrangea fertilization needs vary greatly, depending on your intended bloom color. Certain elements of the fertilizer affect the soil pH, which is a major determinant of bloom color in the pink/blue hydrangea varieties.


How to Adjust Hydrangea Color

Hydrangeas may produce pink, blue, or lavender blooms, depending on where it?s planted and how it?s fed. The presence of aluminum in the plant ultimately determines the color, and pH affects the uptake of aluminum. Alkaline soils, pH of 6.0 or more, are more likely to produce pink blooms, and more acidic soils, pH 4.5 to 5.5, produce blue flowers.

Hydrangea Endless Summer

Hydrangea Nikko Blue

Pink hydrangeas can be turned blue by applying aluminum sulfate to lower the pH and add aluminum to the soil. Applying lime to raise the pH level will help blue hydrangeas turn pink. If your soil naturally produces very blue or very pink hydrangea flowers, you may need to grow your hydrangeas in containers or raised beds to achieve the desired color. If you do attempt to change the color of your blooms by adding these minerals, dilute them well, and add sparingly. It is very easy to scorch your plants by adding too much. White hydrangeas are not affected by efforts to change bloom color.
I thought this was interesting.....alot of people don't know that you
can adjust their color!

So on to MY tablescape.......


This is my kitchen....I used my everyday set of dishes and mixed them up a bit.

I got my Pfaltzgraff dishes for wedding presents in the 70's. They are the only 12 piece set of everyday dishes I own. I do have two full sets of china.

I bought the blue glass chargers at a thrift shop in Houston. The white pleated plate was topped with a pasta bowl from Pfaltzgraff. The little cobalt blue bowl matches the big bowl I use for salad. They were a gift from my mom. The napkins I bought at Salvation Army in Houston.


The soup tureen was a wedding present. The Pfaltzgraff glasses are from the 70's. The corn plates I bought in the Pfaltzgraff outlet for $2.00 each. I did buy twelve, since I have a place setting of twelve.



I collect pitchers and this one is from Schenectady, my home town....


The chairs need cane seats and to be refinished. Project # 9,999!!!!


Yankee Candles are my favorite...Island Guava, water Garden and Coconut Lime by Essentials provide the light. I never use scented candles on the table for dinner. I did so today because the colors were in the napkins.



I love this vase! It is clear and blue.....I bought it on sales years ago at Hobby Lobby in IL. It has a tulip edge.



My sunny backyard in the background.


I would like to thank Susan from BNOTP for hosting this event every week. I hope you view as many tablescapes as you can. I try to catch at least 25!


Thank you for stopping by...I hope to blog a little more than I have been. I have some before & after pictures to share.

See you next week!

Blessings My Friend,

21 comments:

  1. Hydrangeas are my favorite flower. Your tablescapes are very pretty. Thanks for visiting and leaving such a sweet comment. Pleas stop in often.

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  2. i love them, too...they stay around my house all year! i love how well they dry!!!

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  3. Your table is wonderful. I recognize the Yorktown.

    We have Endless Summers by our patio. Absolutely love them. We've had the best luck with them. They were hit by ice a couple of years ago in early Spring and came back strong.

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  4. I also love the hydrangeas. I remember the Pfaltzgraf in that blue and white. I think it stands the test of time very well. Just love blue and white. Joni

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  5. Lovin' the beautiful napkins and those chargers are such a fun pop of color-enjoy:@)

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  6. Your wonderful blues pull in the blue from your pool and from the new Spring sky. Well done. Love the blue vase...can't believe that I never saw it at Hobby Lobby. Rats! Thank you for sharing your charming design and for stopping by my post. Cherry Kay

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  7. Thank you so much on the hydrangea primer. I think I have a spot for them. I learned quite a bit here today. Your table is lovely. I love the crispness of blue and white and the cobalt is such an eye catcher.

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  8. I'm in love with the cobalt blue. I read all the useful information but kept scrolling to look at those beautiful dishes.

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  9. Beautiful hydrangeas. Such a pretty tablescape all in blue and white...my favourite.
    Shel

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  10. Love hydrangeas! I tried to plant one a few years ago, but I think it must have been too sunny -- maybe I'll try again. Your Pfaltzgraf is so pretty -- I was married in the 70's too, but mine didn't survive one of our moves -- it always brings back good memories though.

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  11. Hi Pinky, I love those hydrangeas--one of my favorite flowers, especially the endless summer because I use them all summer indoors for arrangements. I remember those P. dishes from when I graduated from college and so many of my girlfriends were buying them. They really bring back memories! Linda

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  12. Love the hydrangeas napkins and the blue table setting. Looks wonderful. I am your newest follower, looking forward to more tablescapes.

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  13. Oh, I love hydrangeas! And you got a great deal on those napkins.
    I also love how you mixed all of your plates with the pretty blue. Such a lovely tablescape! I'm so glad you dropped by to visit me. I've been MIA for a bit, but I hope to be back tablescaping again very soon. Hope you are having a wonderful St. Patrick's Day! Be sure and wear green so no one will pinch you... unless, of course, you want to be pinched. ;-) LOL!

    XO,

    Sheila :-)

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  14. How's the new dweller? I can see that your having a nice place. The pool is very welcoming.

    The table is always as gorgeous as usual with your pretty treasures around.


    Happy TS...

    Greetings from Stockholm,
    /chie

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  15. Hi there!!! I can't believe your backyard is already blooming so abundantly!!! The buds on the trees here are still struggling to pop their little heads out, and there's not a flower in sight. I would love to have those strawberry & cream hydrangea in my yard!!! I need to sweet talk ol' hubby! :-) You got some really terrific buys that look really great together! I like those corn holders...very unique, at least to me! I think I saw some at Crate & Barrel once, but I don't see them a lot. They're cool! I hope you are enjoying this fine St. Patrick's Day. Have fun, and thanks for stopping by my blog this morning!

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  16. Beautiful hydrangeas...my favorite flower.
    I love all the cobalt on your table. Glad to see that you are out haunting the thrift stores, Elaine!

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  17. Yes, those hyrangeas are beautiful (so is your backyard, by the way). I love the color of the blue cobalt in your tablescape--so rich. I can see why you love that vase, it's gorgeous. Happy St. Patty's day!!

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  18. Very pretty blue tablescape! Those napkins are gorgeous! I love hydrangeas, and those are all lovely!

    Katherine

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  19. Where did you get the vanilla strawberry hydrangea?
    I have that soup tureen plus several other accessory pieces of that pfaltzgraff pattern which I no longer use and would love to sell.

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  20. My husband loves to garden so I am going to print off your information about Hydrangeas and share with him. Your table is pretty and I like the soup tureen and the little corn on the cob plates.....really cute.

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  21. Elaine,

    Your tablescape design is gorgeous. I love those new hydrangea napkins and your beautiful flower display.

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