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:

1. Leave a comment in response to the sweepstakes prompt on this post
2. 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
3. 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
4. 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!

Comments

[Denise]

coral bells and hydrangeas are my favorite. Pick one? kind of impossible. I've actually gotten hydrangeas to grow in my yard in colorado, it feels magical.

[Laurie Emerson]

I am most looking forward to our Hydrangeas blooming. We have purple, white and pink ones.

[Kassandra]

Can't remember if I entered already so this is my entry (unless I already did. In which case Boo for mom brain)

[Kassandra]

Can't remember if I entered already so this is my entry (unless I already did. In which case Boo for mom brain)

[V.Mayer]

I have a pot of perennials out front, and in it is a SINGLE Calla Lily; I look forward to its arrival every year!

[Linda]

I love waiting for the sunflowers to open up and shine.

[Stephanie Galbraith]

I love roses.

[Mary Cloud]

I love enjoying the pansies during summer
annabella @ centurytel dot net

[Christina Sparks]

I am planning on planting a rose bush in front of my home.

[maria simon]

this summer my husband is helping in yard with our roses.. I love to bring to church to make arrangements thanks you!!

[Susan Christy]

I like roses and hydrangeas.

[Andrea]

I'm looking forward to my daisies, so the kiddos & I can put them in water w/ food coloring and change them colors. Science!

[Beth]

Lilacs and peonies!

[Lisa Weidknecht]

I love sunflowers in the summertime!

[Karen Gonyea]

I love enjoying Hydrangeas !!! They are my favorite flower !!!

[Kirsten]

My favorite is azaleas. I have a hard time with hydrangeas but I do love them.

[Kirsten]

https://twitter.com/miriama59/status/480704912481726464

[Ellie W]

I look forward to my sunflowers and yellow roses blooming.

[Ellie W]

tweet
https://twitter.com/eswright18/status/480732107279302656

[tina reynolds]

I love seeing the roses so pretty

[tina reynolds]

https://twitter.com/eaglesforjack/status/480737005564080129

[Holly C.]

tweeted
https://twitter.com/hbbs55/status/480755703846420480

[Holly C.]

I love my flower garden, this year I planted cosmos in my veggie garden, can't wait for them to bloom!

[maya hu]

https://twitter.com/xomygive/status/480760587371048960

[heather s]

sunflowers are so happy I like them

[Tanya White]

I always look forward to my Lilacs blooming. I live in a city that has a Lilac fest every year and this is our favorite of all flowers. Thank you for the chance.

[Tanya White]

Tweeted https://twitter.com/tanyawhite16/status/480777816930131969

[Laura E]

Love all the natives - black-eyed susans, purple coneflower, but excited to have finally had success with milkweed. Not because of the blooms but because of the butterflies I hope it brings!

[Betty C]

I love hydrangeas but lilacs are the ones that really make spring come alive.

[Betty C]

Tweet - https://twitter.com/willitara/status/480921815813222400

[Wanda McHenryy]

I am looking forward to my Hippeastrum, Bearded Iris and Roses!

[Wanda McHenryy]

https://twitter.com/myfolly/status/482001345625333762

[Amanda Sakovitz]

im looking forward to roses

[Amanda Sakovitz]

https://twitter.com/aes529/status/482176591930220544

[Thomas Murphy]

I am looking forward to hydrangeas this summer.

[Thomas Murphy]

https://twitter.com/thomasmurphy40/status/482229948380221440

[Eugenie]

I'm looking forward to columbines.

[Lee]

this year I'm looking forward to planting lilies.

[Sarah L]

I just have a bit of a garden and I grow herbs. I volunteer at the Denver Botanic Gardens and enjoy all their flowers.
Thanks for the contest.

[Sarah L]

https://twitter.com/slehan/status/482266935841673216

[Melissa M]

My roses.

[Melissa M]

https://twitter.com/618mom23boys/status/483108311097569282

[Melanie]

I love hydrangeas! We just had a wedding at the house and it was completely decorated with snowball bush and hydrangea cuttings. Gorgeous!