A climbing hydrangea TREE

About 5 years ago I was driving home from work and on a whim decided to stop by Bellevue Nursery. I saw the most wonderful plant, a climbing hydrangea that had been trained to grow like a tree up a pole. (For those of you who aren't familiar, climbing hydrangeas are more like vines that climb on a lattice or wall.) I was sticker-shocked by the price tag but on the other hand, I'd never seen anything like that before and instantly fell in love with the idea of a climbing hydrangea TREE. After much debating, I decided it was a ridiculously expensive purchase and hopped in my car and left the hydrangea behind. My willpower was weak though, I didn't get more than a couple minutes down the road when I pulled a u-turn and decided I MUST HAVE THAT PLANT. 

4 Springs came and went since that ridiculous purchase and each season I would force open the new leaves of my climbing hydrangea tree to look for blooms - and in 4 years it never bloomed once! This year I decided if it wasn't going to bloom I was going to dig it up and move it. It no longer deserved a place of prominence if it wasn't going to perform. And low and behold, this year it's FINALLY going to bloom. I only had to wait 5 years! 

In my mind's eye, I imagine my hydrangea tree which has developed a sturdy trunk and is a self-supporting tree that and has grown up to the trellis that would stretch one length of our deck (and of course in this vision, it's COVERED with blooms). It's so funny to me the difference between what you imagine when you plant something and what actually ends up happening. That is probably why I've moved almost every plant in my garden at least twice! In the end, it's best to look at gardening as one big experiment. And you never know what surprises Mother Nature has in store for you. 

Stay tuned. As soon as this thing actually blooms, I will be posting pictures! I am hoping within the next couple weeks.