Blooming Hydrangeas Better Late Than Never

By Phran Novelli

PHILADELPHIA (CBS) - It was like spring in November, seeing a row of lacecap hydrangeas bursting into bloom the other day!

Lacecaps hydrangeas have flatter-topped flowers that open around the edges a bit at a time, giving them a lacier look than the big mopheads.

This summer many lacecaps didn't bloom since, like a lot of other non-native hydrangeas, their buds didn't survive last winter. But now, the newer buds that have formed are developed enough that on warmer days some are coaxed into opening.

While predictions for this winter's weather are still coming in, there's no way to know for sure whether we - and our gardens - will get stuck under piles of snow and freezing rain again in the months to come. But one thing we saw firsthand from last year is that harsh winter weather has a huge effect on how plants grow and bloom; delaying many flowers well into summer and now, even surprising us with a fresh breath of spring late in the fall.