Struck by BloomStruck™ (and a $100 Visa Gift Card)!
If you are a perennial, shrub, or tree in my yard, it was a ROUGH winter. While it's normal for me to have one or two fatalities to the cold, this year I had... more than one or two.
The deer completely destroyed four of my tall evergreen shrubs.
I lost nearly half of my boxwoods to relentless cold. We're talking about over 25 formerly happy little guys that lined our entire front landscaping. They are now deader than dead. Several others are badly damaged from the cold.
My two dozen rose bushes survived, I think, but they are going to need to be pruned to the ground because only the roots survived.
My hydrangeas, though. THEY'RE BACK! Or at least they survived. It looks like the old growth was lost to the harshness of this winter's endless cold, but they are popping up from the ground, so they will recover. The bad news is that all of my hydrangeas (and there are a lot -- about 10) are the type that bloom on old growth. So, no flowers this year, but next year should be spectacular.
Except, thanks to BlogHer and Endless Summer®, I have a new addition to my hydrangea family.
That is my new friend BloomStruck™. It's from the Endless Summer® Collection and it blooms all summer long. It also blooms on both old and new growth, so starting this year, I shouldn't ever have a summer without hydrangeas again.
That, by the way, is a big deal to me. Hydrangeas are my absolute favorite of all flowers. Period. They have no competition. I love them most of all because all flowering things in the purple to blue to pink range are fantastic. I also love them because of their giant flower heads, because I'm fascinated by being able to change the color of the blooms by adding acid to the soil, and because I just plain love classic flowers.
(Kiara loves them, too.)
BloomStruck™ is earning my love in new ways. It has red stems, which I'm totally dorking out over. They're so pretty! The blooms are huge and multi-colored, so knowing that I will be able to enjoy them all summer long is making me a very happy camper.
I can't wait to add it to Hydrangea Row by our pond.
I'm pretty sure heaven is a little fairy hidden amongst a field of hydrangeas that surround a cute little pond.
Thanks to BloomStruck™ and BlogHer, I get to celebrate the introduction of BloomStruck™ by giving one of you a $100 Visa Gift Card. Just leave a comment telling me the flower you are most looking forward to enjoying this summer and you will be entered to win. (Me? I'm already enjoying my new BloomStruck™ hydrangea! HOORAY!)
Sweepstakes Rules:
No duplicate comments.
You may receive (2) total entries by selecting from the following entry methods:
- Leave a comment in response to the sweepstakes prompt on this post
- Tweet (public message) about this promotion; including exactly the following unique term in your tweet message: “#SweepstakesEntry”; and leave the URL to that tweet in a comment on this post
- Blog about this promotion, including a disclosure that you are receiving a sweepstakes entry in exchange for writing the blog post, and leave the URL to that post in a comment on this post
- For those with no Twitter or blog, read the official rules to learn about an alternate form of entry.
This giveaway is open to US Residents age 18 or older. Winners will be selected via random draw, and will be notified by e-mail. The notification email will come directly from BlogHer via the sweeps@blogher email address. You will have 72 hours to respond; otherwise a new winner will be selected.
The Official Rules are available here.
This sweepstakes runs from 05/19/2014-06/26/2014.
Be sure to visit the Endless Summer brand page on BlogHer.com where you can read other bloggers’ posts!
Monday, May 19, 2014
Reader Comments (193)
I love lilacs!!!
Yellow roses. :)
i’ve never grown them but they are so gorgeous. I would love to grow roses if i could I’ve always wanted to plant my own garden but I just dont know how to go about it. I need to go buy a book on this, but your post really encourages me!
tweet
https://twitter.com/MeandBells/status/469145149403299840
Hydrangeas and peonies are my favorites.
tweeted
https://twitter.com/rubylorikeet/status/469242742540107777
I love seeing the lilies.
I love me some tulips!
https://twitter.com/1amypugmire/status/469351001393487872
I am looking forward to my purple lilies, so pretty.
https://twitter.com/LuLu_Brown24/status/469506882059522048
Daisies are my favorite.
I live in a City that is called the Lilac City, and every year I look forward to the Lilacs in my yard blooming. They are in full bloom now!
https://twitter.com/JewelWood/status/469515507603742720
I'm most excited for my Dahlias to bloom!
I love blue hydrangeas, I do not currently have any in my landscape but we are currently redoing the yard so I think I will add some!
Tweeted
https://twitter.com/mummytotwoboys1/status/470630229417799680
My favorite flowers right now are my zinnias because all the different varieties I started from seed this year are all doing great.
I usually get a second bloom on my freesia - heavenly scent!
Love your photos! I'm looking forward to tulips.
I am most looking forward to enjoying sunflowers and white hydrangea this summer.
tcarolinep at gmail dot com
-https://twitter.com/tcarolinep/status/470762056853889025
I'm looking forward to my marigolds.
Oh hydrangeas are so beautiful! We have one that is slowwwwwwwly coming back. Don't think we'll get any flowers either because between the deer and winter almost annihilated it!
I was most looking forward to my moonflowers, but only one of the seeds seems to have germinated this year and isnt fairing well. I had far more success last year.
I am looking forward to my roses.
Tweeted: https://twitter.com/rhoneygee/status/472612952751611904
i have a butterfly tree that i enjoy seeing bloom every year
i posted a tweet: https://twitter.com/bellows22/status/473306839828803584
I'm looking forward to all my rose bushes blooming, I miss my rose bush that was over 50 years old, my uncle thought he would do me a favour and cut it back, he killed it, I haven't gotten over it and it's been over 15 years :(
I can't wait to see my Tar Diva hydrangea bloom.
I don't grow hydrangeas since they wouldn't make it here in FL, but we're moving to PA so I hope to grow them there!
I do not plant hydrageas, but I think they are pretty plants
https://twitter.com/sweetums82/status/474337175190777856
My pretty pink roses!
My favorite this year will be the yellow rose bush that's starting to open now that I got for Mother's Day! Fionn bought me a Hydranga when we first moved into our house and it is alive but like yours will not be blooming this year. I'm just happy it survived as out two new weeping cherry trees and buttery bush did not.
Struck by BloomStruck™ (and a $100 Visa Gift Card)! - Home - burgh baby http://www.theburghbaby.com/burghbaby/struck-by-bloomstruck-and-a-100-visa-gift-card.html#.U4-whVk7cj4.twitter … #SweepstakesEntry
I look forward to enjoying the Zinnias
https://twitter.com/HappyTina0115/status/476188058602049537
I love my sweet williams
https://twitter.com/mkjmc/status/476320551351250944
I am looking forward to enjoying my tiger lilies!
Thanks for the chance to win!
wildorchid985 at gmail dot com
tweet--https://twitter.com/WildOrchid985/status/477774541490769920
I am most looking forward to enjoying the beautiful lilac tree that grows in our backyard.
I do enjoy my hydrangea plant the best!
tweeted: https://twitter.com/KerryBishop/status/478348405492551680
My papaya popsicle plant! It's my absolute favorite.
I love tulips and lilacs!
Sunflowers and roses. Love them both and looking forward to when they're grown.
Tweeted: https://twitter.com/peg42/status/478853482598785025