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 look forward to enjoying the Lilacs that bloom outside my house.
tweet
https://twitter.com/Kellydinpa/status/468425637187698688
I love hydrangeas, too! But they don't grow where I live super sad face. This summer is all about my roses.
I lovewhen the lilacs that are by every window possible, bloom. The house smells incredible, even if 2 that somehow, mysteriously, disappeared (I'm blaming the plow) don't reappear. But of course the 12 ft sunflowers are my favorite too.
I lost a lot of perennials and shrubs to Old Man Winter this year too. But I am glad that my peonies seem to be unscathed. Thankfully, they have tons of buds that are nearly ready to pop. They are so beautiful and they smell so good, I would have been terribly disappointed if they were damaged this winter/spring.
I love hydrangeas, too. I love blue/purple flowers best. I just wish I didn't kill plants.
I love, love, love hydrangeas as well!
I love a Butterfly Bush and any flower that attracts humming birds! Alas, the only flowers I can have in reality are shade ones (impatiens, petunias etc) in pots on my porch - any and all others would be eaten by various critters large and small. Thanks for the chance at the gift card!
I love the cosmos flower because they used to grow all over the place when I was a little kid.
I gotta say I love them all!!! But if I have to choose one, I would say I can't wait for my house to fill up with smell of the lilac blooms as that signifies to me the real start of summer up here!
I really enjoyed my daffodils this spring. The deer ate my tulips.
Hands down, hydrangeas are my favorite especially the blue ones. A runner up is gerbera daisies. Love the simplicity and bright colors.
I can't wait for my bee balm to bloom. Last year it looked fabulous until Mother Nature sent a week of pounding rain that made them horizontal.
I am looking forward to enjoying the roses this summer they are so lovely.
I'm looking forward to the bouquet I'll be carrying on June 14 as I walk down the aisle to meet my Future Husband. Pretty sure it won't get any better than that <3
I would say peonies! They're so cute!
telling me the flower you are most looking forward to enjoying this summer
Lilacs (actually spring flower, but whatev)
https://twitter.com/dropastitch/status/468509889082716161
Tulips are my hydrangea :) But spring, not summer. My favorite summer is a close competition between the hydrangea and these redorange monster lilies.
I'm already enjoying the tulips! Love springtime!
I am looking forward to enjoying roses
https://twitter.com/ElenaIstomina/status/468516696446103552
I look forward to daffodils.
tweeted--https://twitter.com/mami2jcn/status/468529914480578561
The flower I am looking forward to enjoying this summer the most are my lily's! One of my favorites. So pretty!
tweeted- https://twitter.com/lil_lady_dz/status/468535930152681472
I am looking forward to planting lilies and pansies in the front yard by our driveway.
I tweeted under @yarbr012: https://twitter.com/yarbr012/status/468553851293814784
I love hydrangeas and roses during the summer. Can't beat either for the beautiful color they give out for all to see.
I can't wait for peonies to be in stores this summer!
I always look forward to my snapdragons.
I love hydrangeas!
I'm looking forward to sunflowers. I just love their big faces. I'm very partial to hydrangeas, too, for the reasons you mentioned.... and I might have to find some of the endless summer ones so I can enjoy some vivid color.
I love sunflowers!!
I'm looking forward to the marigolds. Some people call them ugly, but I love their sunny pops of color :)
I'm most excited for my Dahlias to bloom!
My purple irises which are about to bloom!
I love wild sunflowers, but also adore the dogwood flowers.
I love all colors of Iris. Too bad their growing season is so short.
Lilacs. Can't wait!!
I love Clematis, especially when they're paired with roses.
I always look forward to my peonies blooming and then not too long after all my lilies usually bloom. :)
I planted my first hydrangeas last year. They're blue & it looks like they're coming back. :)
I was so scared my bleeding hearts and ferns wouldn't make it through the winter, but they are back with flying colors. Just waiting on my hydrangeas.
I love my sun drops.
I'm also a hydrangea girl! Although my daffodils also made me particularly happy.
We have an apartment, so no garden, but I would love growing these! They're beautiful. I would get one of the blue.
chambanachik(at)gmail(dot)com
This looks really nice! My girlfriend and my mother love hydrangea's, and this would be great for them :)
Tweet: https://twitter.com/OneFrugalGirl/status/468950709069946880
Gerbera Daisies.