Hydrangea

In our chapel grounds is a blue hydrangea. It is not large and its flowers are few, though it prospers better there than ever it did in my front garden. A better and bigger example I found outside the Methodist Chapel in Rawtenstall. Many know that a hydrangea’s flower colour can change based on the acidity of the soil. A soil with a pH of 5.5 or lower will produce blue flowers, a pH of 6.5 or higher will produce pink, and soil in between 5.5 and 6.5 will make purple blooms. I am fond of all the shades, while also intrigued to find that these bushes are essentially living litmus tests of the soil beneath them.

The Parable of the Sower talks about good ground and bad ground. Good soil yields good crops, poor soil yields little, just as acidic soil produces blue hydrangeas, and alkaline makes pink. Remember that the colour of your speech, thoughts and actions betray the quality of your heart. From the fullness of the heart, the mouth speaks. An acidic heart produces blue thoughts and bitter words.