The American Hydrangea Society's 16th annual garden tour is less than a month away! Featuring 6 of Atlanta's most beautiful and bountiful  hydrangea-filled gardens, the tour is a gardening mega-event and an exclusive chance to meet and greet some of the most creative minds in garden design. We are excited to see some well-deserving friends on the route this year, and some intriguing new faces as well.

Founded in 1994 "for people who love hydrangeas and want to study and learn about the genus Hydrangea, its species and cultivars, as well as its culture, habits, hardiness, and performance"; the AHS has become a foundation in Hydrangea circles (and yes, there are hydrangea circles). While there are members worldwide, the largest concentration by far is here in the Southeast, centered around Atlanta, where the Society's founder, Penny McHenry, lived and fell in love with hydrangeas. She's even got a couple named after her. I can only hope to one day gain such esteem! Until then though, the best any of us can do is continue to promote and appreciate the vigor and diversity of our beloved genus. The AHS's yearly tour is a fantastic way to do just that, and a brilliant way to spend a Saturday to boot.

If you don't have any plans -or even if you do- clear your calendars, grab your cameras, and set out Saturday, June 12 for a peek into the wonder Mother Nature provides, and the splendor she can achieve with some helping hands (and green thumbs). Don't wait a year to see gardens like these- this season's weather has been the best in a decade for hydrangeas. It's worth the trip! 

You can get tickets at the nursery on any regular retail day, and get a floriferous taste of the wonders the tour holds in store;

Or, for the first time ever, you can purchase tickets online year here on Hydrangea.com:

http://www.hydrangea.com/shopping/pgm-more_information.php?id=2025&=SID#MOREINFO

Every ticket comes with a one-year membership to the American Hydrangea Society, and all the year-round benefits that entails.
For even more info on the AHS, you can visit their website at:

http://www.americanhydrangeasociety.org/Home.aspx

We got word yesterday that our friends at Plant Introductions, Inc. in Watkinsville have licensed a pink, mophead-form Hydrangea arborescens to Bailey Nurseries, owners of the Endless Summer Hydrangea franchise. Hot on the tails of Proven Winners' much-hyped release of "Invincibelle Spirit" last year, the breeders at Plant Introductions have named their pink Annabelle "Bella Anna ", and it purportedly features dark green foliage to go alog with its "rich magenta-pink mophead inflorescences".

Scheduled to be released next year, 'Bella Anna' will put two of the world's largest patent-plant marketers head-to-head in the hydrangea market. Great news for hydrangea fanatics everywhere! Competition means lower prices, and monopolies are just no fun, anyway. We are planning a trip to Plant Introductions to see what else they've got in store, and to get the scoop on getting some of these pink wonders as soon as possible. We will of course offer them to the public as soon as we've got our hands on them. 

Photos of 'Bella Anna' and more information about Plant Introductions can be found here:

http://www.plantintroductions.com/hydrangeabellaanna.html