It must be quite twenty-five years since we were given and planted a hydrangea on the only south facing wall in the garden.

It thrived, and within a few seasons spread itself across the full extent of the wall.

I forget if we planted it, or if it was self-sown, but at some point in time a rambling or climbing rose took up residence beside the hydrangea on the adjoining east-facing wall.
It thrived too and in time it entirely overgrew and occluded the hydrangea.
And we allowed this because the rose would flower from early spring until the first severe air-frost of winter which, in the old order of things, could be close to Christmas.
And during that period it would produce literally thousands of flower-heads.

But as I mentioned in: The first day of spring.....02.03.11 it succumbed to the rigours or the past two, Arctic-like winters and is now dead.

But look at what has re-emerged - the old hydrangea.

While I was looking at it yesterday it occurred to me that it may be the rose had saved the hydrangea by acting as a blanket during the two severe winters.

Anyway, as you can see, it will now have to fight for precedence with a virile bramble.

So, when the hydrangea has finished flowering I will remove the dead rose and murder the bramble.

And, finally, the rambling rose has been survived by some suckers that rooted themselves in the old wall.

I plan to try to re-propagate one or more of these.............but not beside the old hydrangea......