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In the previous post I wrote about starting 4 hydrangea cuttings. So far we have most certainly lost one, if not two. One looks quite healthy but that's the only one I have any confidence about. Only time will tell. I will keep you posted. (Update: Sadly, not a single cutting survived...) Soon after the last posting, a good friend sent me a link to a website with all the names of the hydrangea varieties that can be seen at a city park in Kobe. (See the link below.) To my delight I discovered the name of hydrangea variety that I like so much. It's called "uzu-ajisai" and is also sold in flower shops as "otafuku-ajisai". Apparently "uzu" refers to a whirlpool and the unique shape of the petals are thought to mirror the swirling of the water. ("Ajisai" means "hydrangea".) The photo below is also "uzu-ajisai" but is a little pinker than the one in the previous post. It grows in front of an elementary school I pass every time I visit my mother-in-law's house. It was the first "uzu-ajisai" I had ever seen and I have made a point to seek it out every time hydrangea season comes around. I'm so pleased I can now identify this variety. Only how many more to learn? (^.~) (Take a look at the link to get an idea! The hydrangea are divided into 5 main types and then further subdivided. There must be over 100 different names. <http://hottime.sakura.ne.jp/ajisai.htm>) 
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Yesterday, after visiting the hydrangea garden in Yanagidani Kannon in western Kyoto, we stopped in at a small JA shop. (JA = Central Union of Agricultural Co-operatives) We picked up some fresh vegetables and, as we headed to the register, I noticed several buckets full of lilies and hydrangea. The hydrangea were a variety I love, but rarely see, and I ended up buying 5 stalks for about $2.00 for the whole bunch. Oh, and 5 stalks of lilies for the same price. As we were paying, the cashier asked if I wanted cuttings as well. Cuttings? Apparently it is easy to grow hydrangea from cuttings and she just happened to have 4 of the same variety I was buying. In fact, probably from the same plant. Did I want them?! YES, PLEASE! So, my task for today has been figuring out how to prepare the cuttings properly. I've never done this before and if it works, I will be so pleased! I will keep you posted. In the meantime, the flowers below are now brightening my kitchen counter. (Update: Alas, no luck at all...) P.S. This link illustrates 4 methods for growing hydrangea from cuttings. I'm using method 3. https://www.wikihow.com/Grow-Hydrangea-from-Cuttings  |
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I'm a photographer based in Osaka, Japan. I like to share.
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