ColorChallenge - Friday Sky Blue - Hydrangea in Bloom - Macro Photography
Sometimes part of being a photographer is merely keeping your eyes open to the opportunities.
Today I was at my bank and noticed these really lovely hydrangeas in their parking lot... and it reminded me of @kalemandra's #colorchallenge series... I wanted to do something with "Friday Blue" that was not a photo involving a picture of mostly blue skies.
Blue hydrangea varietals in bloom
These flowers seemed like the perfect answer!
Close-up of the center of a hydrangea bloom
I remember hydrangeas from when I was little in Denmark, where it was an "exotic" potted plant. Much later, when we lives in the south of Spain and other warmer places, it was amazing to see how big they could grow-- almost to "small tree" sizes.
Although we mostly see them in this bright blue color, hydrangeas come in many other different colors, including pink, white, violet, yellow and even green. Colors can-- to some degree-- be controlled by the ph (acidity) of the soil they grow in.
If you're interested in some great photography from some of Steemit's finest, I also suggest checking out the supporting @colorchallenge page! There, you will also more explanatory posts about the challenge, as well as a number of resteems of participants' posts.
Blue hydrangea bloom and buds
How about YOU? Have you ever grown hydrangeas? Where you live, is it more something you grow in a pot, or do they grow large in the outdoors? Did you know they come in many colors? Leave a comment-- share your experiences and feedback-- be part of the conversation!
(As usual, all text and images by the author, unless otherwise credited. This is original content, created expressly for Steemit)
Published 20170804 17:22 PDT
Is it a flower in a tropical place? I see his color is so beautiful. Her color reminds me of eggplant: D
I am also a person who love with flowers, I just wrote a post about sunflower in my new house I grew very beautiful. You know that the sunflowers are often used as ingredients to make a quaci, but I can not make it, I just plant to get the beauty ..
Greeting fellow lovers of plants :)
Hydrangeas are native plants from mostly south-east Asia and Central and South America... but people now grow them in many places.
I've never grown them, but I like them a lot. Japan has a lot of hydrangeas and, if I remember correctly, the Smokey Mountains in North Carolina and Tennessee are covered with them. Beautiful flowers!
I just remember it being so "interesting" for me-- even as a kid-- to go from living in a place where the weather (cold winters) made them a pot plant, to living where they just grew as bushes in the yard.
That's how I remember the hydrangea in the Smokey Mountains, being trees almost that practically covered the mountains entirely. I couldn't believe it when I first saw them. Where I live in Japan, they grow pretty big, but they're still domestic plants and shrubs.
The hydrangeas are beautiful dear friend @ denmarkguy, congratulations on the beautiful captures. Thank you very much for sharing these beautiful images.
I wish you a beautiful weekend
Thank you @jlufer, appreciate your kind words! They were a nice break to take pictures of, on an otherwise busy day.
Wishing you a beautiful weekend, as well!
I love the hydrangeas, I have many varieties and you've managed to capture the blue beautifully.
I think they are beautiful, too. It always fascinated me how expert gardeners could "tweak" the color by fiddling with the Ph of the soil they were growing in... a whole range from pink to purple to blue... and they you could also make the flowers completely lose pigment and just be plain green.
I know right, I have hydrangea that surround my house and each bush has different hues. Same soil all around, but some get a bit more acid due to some evergreens nearby. lol Much bluer with purple. love them
Beautiful flower. In my area of residence, in Meulaboh, West Aceh district, such flowers are widely sold at the flower sale. People make it as home decoration.
I also love flowers, but in my house a lot of orchids and jasmine.
Thank you @djunmul. Here, a lot of people also dry them to keep in flower arrangements in the wintertime, as decoration. Where I live (Washington state, USA) we have a much shorter growing season for flowers than Indonesia, so people like to save them.
Photography is a small voice, at best, but sometimes one photograph, or a group of them, can lure our sense of awareness
Very true... and a lot of the time, a good photograph is largely the result of simply being AWAKE to the beauty around us!
I have it in my garden, but it still did not bloom in this summer:(
In more northern climates it is difficult sometimes, especially when the winter was cold. Hopefully you will get flowers!
Stunning hydrangeas are making us happy! Thanks for sharing
I'm happy you enjoyed the photos!
yes i did. i have followed u now. i don't want to miss ur content
Beautiful pictures, thank you for sharing. Steem On brother!
Thank you-- glad you enjoyed them!
You are most welcome! Steem On Brother!
Wow! Beautiful flowers
Thank you!