Hydrangea Bloom Over the Water Gardens

A single hydrangea head dominates the picture, a round cluster of blossoms in blue, violet, coral, cream and turquoise, held up by a red and blue branching stem and big green and purple leaves. Gardeners work all over it. Some stand on ladders among the petals, two plant seedlings in pots on the large leaf at lower left, and one turns a valve at the trunk. Yellow chanterelle mushrooms and teal sponges sprout between the flowers. Around the plant lies a cobbled yard divided by raised beds and curved water channels, with rows of seedlings, lily pads, a rowing boat, small fountains and wooden footbridges. The blossoms change colour from one side of the head to the other, so the pieces of the bloom come together by hue.