Wednesday, May 12, 2021
Agenda items will include CCHS Board reports as well as Committee Head introductions with a short synopsis of each of committee’s functions focusing on current/upcoming activities. There will also be an opportunity for new member introductions.
Directly following will be Mal Condon’s presentation, ‘Hydrangeas in The Azores – So Many Macrophyllas’.
“We visited three islands in the Azorean archipelago in August 2019 principally to view Hydrangea macrophylla plantings which grow in abundance everywhere. An introduced species, the H. macrophyllas dominate the landscape – in home gardens and in the countryside in an almost indigenous wild manner to the point they are now considered invasive.
All nine islands of the Azores are volcanic in origin and the landscape is typically rugged with steep terrain being common. Near the eastern-most pattern of the Gulf Stream, the climate is extraordinarily temperate ranging from 40 to 80F although higher elevations may experience minimum freezing events in winter. This may be the best climate on our planet for H. macrophylla.
And H. macrophylla is the only species that will grow in the Azores. H. arborescens was trialed but winter (dormant) chill hours are insufficient to sustain plant vigor and reliable flowering. This virtual presentation will be a travelogue of our two weeks in this pleasant country well worth visiting for its plants and people.”
A handout, including all slides and information presented in this lecture, will be available on the CCHS website following this virtual webinar presentation.