PROVIDENCE, R.I. [Brown University] — Following the second-rainiest summer on record and an unusually mild 2023-24 winter, New England hydrangeas are experiencing a banner year, and the spectacular hydrangea blooms on the Brown University campus are no exception.

From College Hill to the Jewelry District, the vibrant clusters of purple, deep blue and pink are brimming from bushes across the campus grounds and near Brown buildings.

“Some of the blooms this year are the size of basketballs, like the endless summer hydrangea variety by the Nelson Fitness Center, and we’re seeing pink and purple blooms that we don’t experience very often,” marveled Nick Mol, who leads the 25-person grounds crew that carefully tends the University’s 155-acre campus.

Hydrangea plants form flower buds for the next year in mid-to-late summer, so the regular rain throughout last summer and fall, followed by a mild winter, enabled the buds to make it through all year.

Below are images of hydrangeas in bloom around the Brown campus.