The hydrangea epitomizes the Southern garden. The beautiful opulent blooms of this popular shrub paints the landscape at the home of Bob Hutcheson in blues, pinks, purples and whites.

"I'm a creative person," said 95-year-old Hutcheson. That creativity is evident by the splendor of his garden filled with at least eight varieties of hydrangeas that seem to form a wall of floral grandeur.

Hutcheson, an engineer by trade, enjoys building and painting. Using those same skills, Hutcheson artfully designed a picturesque landscape in the backyard of the home he built 50 years ago.

Hutcheson, who began planting hydrangeas in his yard 20 years ago, said, "I was just looking for something that could live without too much sun. Somehow or another, I found out that hydrangea did not necessarily have to have full sun. They like sun, but they don't have to have it." Married to the late Helen Hutcheson, he reflected as he smiled, "(Helen) appreciated (the garden). But she didn't help in the garden."

Hutcheson continued to maintain the garden until his health prohibited it. "My daughter, Nell, keeps up the flowers now," he said. "She cuts the grass and she goes through all those flowers and makes sure there's no weeds growing in them."

The color of hydrangeas vary according to the ph of the soil. Hutcheson used to add lime to the soil to make them red or pink. "The natural colors (of the hydrangeas) are exhibited now," he said.

"I have to be careful about that (applying additives) because it's not natural for them. It can kill them," he explained.

Hutcheson, who volunteers 90 percent of his time at the Marietta Cobb Museum of Art, also grows roses. He once belonged to Greater Atlanta Rose Society.

Be it roses or hydrangeas, on any given day a garden club or individual can be found viewing the beautiful spread of colorful garden.