A BLOOM! A BLOOM! I Found a BLOOM!

The crunch under my feet as I walked across my lawn this morning verified the thought already foremost in my mind.  "It's freezing out here!"  But I was on a quest. "I've got to find something blooming in my gardens... it's Garden Bloggers Bloom Day." 

As I walked down each frosty garden path my eyes searched intently for anything green and growing. Nada. Except, of course, the vibrant evergreens of my gardens that seem to be flourishing. "How do they survive in this cold?" I almost wondered out loud. "I'm going to have to lower my expectations." 

As I trudged along the frozen grass, I began to focus on the trees and shrubs for signs of swelling leaf buds. "They're kind of like blooms... waiting to burst... aren't they?"  I was feeling a little desperate. I seriously inspected anything with a branch on it.  Again I was disappointed. "A whole lot of warm has to happen before there's any bud swelling going on here." 

I kept walking, intent on finding something to post about. After I'd circled around our half acre several times, I was ready to give up.  "There is nothing that even resembles a bloom here."  Resigned to have to wait for a 'Wordless Wednesday' post I quickened my pace as I walked toward the door and the warmth that was surely on the other side of it. 

Quite suddenly something caught my eye that I had missed before... 
the Quick Fire Hardy Hydrangea near the back door.

February, I Found A Bloom!

Blooms that first appeared waaaay back in June, though weathered and dry, were still clinging to their branches.  I smiled with satisfaction. "There's my post for the day."  

I quickly took a few shots with my camera but I couldn't help but marvel at the tenacity of those delicate little flowers. All through the Winter they have withstood the strong gusts of the notorious Highland winds that blow down from the tops of our mountains.  They have endured the sub-freezing temps that have been relentless for so many weeks. They have survived the deep snow cover that has finally, just in the past several days, begun to melt. "Wow. This hydrangea really is hardy" I thought to myself.

I must admit to all, I fell in love with hydrangeas when we lived in Oregon almost a decade ago... land where just about anything grows. Hydrangeas have a tougher time in Utah and I was thrilled to find a variety that would thrive in my zone 5 garden. I have loved this hydrangea since I first planted it two years ago. 

Here's a photo journal I've kept of my Quick Fire hydrangea in my garden going backwards from today. (Yes this is my baby and I've taken monthly pictures to brag about her growth):

January, Dressed in Ice Crystals

December, Sleeping Under a Soft Blanket of Snow

November, Faded Hues of Fall

October... Filtered with Blue for a Halloween Post
"Don't touch the flowers with a blue glow
They'll cause a nasty itch,
they're poisonous you know."

September Beauty

July's Delicate White

Fresh New Blooms of June

Isn't she a delight?

Read more about this favorite of mine.

by clicking here:

Quick Fire® Hardy Hydrangea 

Hydrangea paniculata 

You just may decide 

that you need to include this hardy hydrangea in your gardens.

BTW, I planted three more of them last Fall.

She thrives in Zones 3-9 and doesn't mind harsh Winters at all!

Be sure to visit Carol at May Dreams Gardens for more GBBD posts!

♥  ♥  ♥

Just noticed the temperature gauge at the top right of my blog.
It is 52°F now as I publish this post.

This morning as I walked to glean inspiration (and blooms),
it was 28°F.

The weatherman said we will reach 60°F today... Yipee!