DAY 83 (27 JUNE) – Hortensia (Hydrangea macrophylla) (Farnham)
Wimbledon tennis starts on Monday. So I’m celebrating with a hydrangea, since the causeways of the All England Club are lined with these symbols of English summer. This one’s in the garden, but it always reminds me of the ‘plock’ of tennis balls behind the hedges.
But I hadn’t looked so closely before. Nor noticed that the outer, more showy flowers come out first – surrounding what look like pastel-coloured chickpeas that will later bloom more modestly.
I’ve also learnt that it is native to Japan and most commonly found in Japan, China and Korea. So not so English after all…
