Garden hydrangeasEver since living on Cape Cod I have adored hydrangeas. Hydrangeas can be a tricky plant to grow but we are a little spoiled on Cape Cod as they grow really well here due to our sandy soils which allows for good drainage.
Hydrangeas at Brewster by the SeaMy first experience with growing Hydrangeas was at our first inn, Brewster by the Sea. When we purchased the inn over 17 years ago all of the gardens were overgrown and neglected, including the many hydrangeas that flanked our pool. I love telling the story about my mom who moved in with us several months after we purchased the inn. She was an avid gardener with great tips about how to take care of the plants and gardens. We immediately starting removing the dead wood around each of the hydrangeas and in the spring, upon my mom’s suggestion, we heavily fed the plants with a slow-release fertilizer containing a high percentage of phosphorus to encourage bloom production. Oh my goodness- you would not believe how many blooms we had that summer, and we chuckled with my mom as she thought maybe next year we should not fertilize the hydrangeas.
When we purchased the Captain Freeman several years later we missed not having hydrangeas around our new inn and immediately starting plants many new gardens. Happy to report that we now have many of them blooming around the pool and in our side garden.
Gardens at the FreemanSpring is a really special time on Cape Cod and with that comes many beautiful gardens filled with these spectacular plants. The Cape Cod Hydrangea Festival is the perfect opportunity to see the best of the best and to learn how to grow them.
Cape Cod Hydrangea Festival – A Summer Garden Celebration
The Cape Cod Hydrangea Festival is an annual celebration of the region’s blue, pink, and white signature flowers and every gardens on Cape Cod! This ten-day festival will be held July 12-July 21, 2019. Highlights include daily tours of private gardens, each designed and maintained by the individual homeowners and carrying a unique charm. You are sure to enjoy such eclectic spaces, not to mention the good feeling of supporting a variety of local nonprofits, which will benefit from the proceeds of each tour.
Gardens are only one part of the festival. Enjoy workshops and lectures presented by leading international horticulturalists, discover promotions at participating nurseries and home centers, take a class to learn proper hydrangea pruning techniques, or even watch a painting demonstration by renowned local artists, both in-studio and in the gardens themselves.
Garden tours are $5 per person per garden. You can pay cash at each garden on the day of the garden tour. Each garden is open from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. and only on the days specified. All garden tours are rain or shine and nonrefundable.
For a list of many great events during this festival check out the following link.
Come stay with us
Summer is finally here and our gardens are spectacular! Our salt water pool is solar heated and is starting to warm. Come stay with us, check out our boutique rooms which are oh, so comfortable and enjoy our farm to table breakfast which never disappoint. Mid July is the perfect time to come see the hydrangeas on Cape Cod when they are at their peak and to enjoy the many events and tours of the Hydrangea Festival.
Freeman Omelets
