The American Hydrangea Society
WELCOME!
Hydrangea macrophylla 'Beaute Vendomoise'
AMERICAN HYDRANGEA SOCIETY SPRING MEETING
Monday, April 28, 2008
6:30 - Meeting Begins
ATLANTA BOTANICAL GARDEN, DAY HALL
1345 PIEDMONT AVENUE, NE
ATLANTA, GA 30309
SPEAKER: MR. RYAN GAINEY WILL SPEAK, starting promptly at 7:00
MEMBER-GET-A-MEMBER CAMPAIGN: IF YOU BRING A FRIEND AND THEY BECOME A MEMBER, YOU GET FIVE FREE RAFFLE TICKETS!
A Brief Visit from Mary T
I come by my
love of
gardening
honestly. The
gardening gene
found me by
first passing
through my
grandmother
and then my
mother.So, my gardening memories in general and my hydrangea memories in particular are all associated with beloved family members.
As I write this, my grandmother, Mary T as we affectionately called her, would have been 95 today. I feel blessed that I had the opportunity to be with her until she passed away last year just before her 94th birthday.
I have many fond childhood memories of walking around my grandmother’s garden with her, looking at all the new blooms on the flowers. My grandmother had vegetable gardens each year. However, it was the flowers that I enjoyed most. My grandmother passed along her passion for gardening to my mother and me. My mother’s garden has many flowers from my grandmother’s garden and holds many fond memories of her.
My fondest hydrangea memory is the day I gave my grandmother a bouquet of lace cap hydrangeas that I had grown from cuttings taken from her garden a few years before.
Years later when Paul and I moved from Druid Hills to Grayson, I had to leave behind a good bit of our garden. However, I very carefully dug up and transplanted the first lace cap hydrangea that I received from my grandmother. It seems to be enjoying its new home in our Grayson garden.
We miss Mary T dearly. However, I still treasure the memories of our years together. Each year when the hydrangeas bloom, I get to enjoy their vibrant beauty. But it’s an extra treat for me. It feels like a brief visit from Mary T just to make sure I’m okay.
Genia Ryan, AHS President
Winter, 2007
Please e-mail your hydrangea memory (250 words or less) to:
Paul Ryan,newsletter editor,
at pg.ryan@hotmail.com.
Please indicate "Hydrangea Memory" in the subject line.
Or mail it to:
Newsletter Editor
American Hydrangea Society
P.O. Box 986
Grayson, GA 30017
WHO STARTED THE AMERICAN HYDRANGEA SOCIETY?
The American Hydrangea Society was founded by Penny McHenry in 1994 in Atlanta, GA. Her story of how she started this society is a simple one:
Photo by William Berry/Atlanta Journal-Constitution
"In 1975, I was given a gift of a blue hydrangea. It was love at first sight. As I explored the genus, my passion grew. A few years later, I learned I was not alone; many gardeners share my addiction. By 1994, I was convinced that the world's perfect shrub deserved a plant society to celebrate and explore its versatility."
Penny McHenry
Founder of the American Hydrangea Society
1925-2006
Here's Penny and her lovely garden
An invitation to join us.
For answers to frequently asked questions about hydrangeas,
please visit AHS member Judith King's excellent website --
All About Hydrangeas.
The American Hydrangea Society
Post Office Box 986
Grayson, GA 30017
www.americanhydrangeasociety.org
Post Office Box 986
Grayson, GA 30017
www.americanhydrangeasociety.org