Cape Cod's "hydrangea whisperer" shares the secrets of her success
CHATHAM - At the Chatham Bars Inn on Cape Cod, fine gardener Pamela Vasques has built a reputation for her knowledge of hydrangeas.
"First of all, Cape Cod , white picket fence and a hydrangea, that's Cape Cod," she told WBZ-TV.
Vasques is in her eighth season growing gorgeous flowers at the hotel, but hydrangeas are her specialty.
"I went to Home Goods the other day and the cashier was like, 'Oh my God, I'm meeting a celebrity' and I said where, where? She goes, 'You work for Chatham! You're the hydrangea whisperer!'," said Vasques. "I am known around Cape Cod."
Vasques is definitely popular. Hotel guests constantly stop her to get gardening tips.
"They'll stop at the front desk and ask for me," said Vasques. "I'll show them how to prune and fertilize. I think guests love that."
5,000 hyrdangeas
When she's not giving out advice, she's cruising around the 25-acre property in her custom hydrangea-themed golf cart. Currently, she and her crew are planting 1,100 new hydrangeas. All 5,000 are on a well-water drip irrigation system and are meticulously hand-pruned.
"Myself and my crew wear surgical gloves so that we can feel and touch everything we're doing," Vasques told WBZ. "We have three soil types here - soil, clay and sand, so you have to know your environment. We don't alter the color of our hydrangeas. It depends on where they're planted."
The "hydrangea Whisperer" also shared some tips for keeping hydrangeas happy and healthy. She recommends pruning above any green buds (making sure to cut at an angle) and always water the plant at its base and never from above, that's how brown and black leaves form.
While Vasques might be known as the "hydrangea whisperer," she's also a bit of a hydrangea scientist. New varieties of the plant, not yet available to the public, are being tested here under her care.
"We have the three different soil types. We have the wind and we have salt air. So all that combination is a really rough, rough environment for anything to grow," said Vasques.
"Best job in the hotel"
Vasques said the blooms have been exceptional this year thanks to a mild winter.
"The hydrangeas are very special, they are the charm of Chatham Bars Inn," said Vasques. "I talk to them, 'You can do it! You can do it!' Come on, it's gonna be a show this year. And It's fun to watch and to see them develop."
Vasques began working at the Inn after retiring, intending it to only be a part-time job. These days, she's working full-time and harder than ever. But, she admits it's a pretty amazing gig.
"I have the best job in the hotel. This is my office view, I get to look at it every day. I get to talk to guests all day, I get to play in dirt all day. It is fabulous," said Vasques with a big smile.
The 10th annual Cape Cod Hydrangea Festival runs through July 14.