Hydrangea arborescens

***WARNING***CONTENT IS LACED W/OBSESSIVE BEHAVIOR!!

My mom recently bought me a gorgeous hydrangea plant for my house. I don't think she knows how much I love these flowers. I don't know why, but they speak to me. My mother-in-law has a great explanation for this connection. She speculates that maybe when we were helping in the creation of the Earth in heaven, we were all assigned to a committee (which makes sense because the church has a committee for EVERYTHING). She has always felt a connection with the ocean and particularly seashells, therefore she says she was on the seashell committee. I have always loved that suggestion so maybe its possible the reason I love hydrangea so much is because I was on the hydrangea committee.

With that said, my hydrangea plant has been the object of my affection for the past two months. I love it so much I hate to see it overgrow its pot and eventually die. I know, I know, I'm obsessed. So I did a little research and found that hydrangea can live outdoors in climate zones 2-8!! Ya, I had no clue what Utah's zone would be, but I knew it was bad. Come to find out Saratoga Springs is a good solid ZONE 2!! So I have decided to move my dear plant outdoors this spring and cross my fingers it grows. The obsessing did not stop there. I now know how to prune, water, sprout, and even change the color of this plant. That's right, CHANGE THE COLOR. The color of a hydrangea is dependant upon the pH in the soil. Acid soil=Blue, alkaline soil=pink, neutral soil=white. Fascinating don't you think?

So there you have it! My new obsession that could possibly lead to the prettiest yard in the neighborhood! Am I totally NUTS?