I have one. Tell me more about your Loniceras.

Does the style of your home or some architectural element suggest a choice or direction? Or the style of your gardens, so that it is unified and hints at what is to follow? Does it need to have interest during your long winter? Do you have a photo of the area in question?

I'm in zone 5 Ottawa,Canada. Zone 4 for you in the US. They used to say you couldn't grow J.maples around here. But for 20 years I always could, and have never lost any, except 2 variegated ones. I have about 25 varieties, a sort of J. maple forest in my back yard & I am running out of room. Good thing they are dwarf trees, unlike our native maples that grow to 50 ft. I wholesale them from (grown in)BC, zone 7-8. They do not loose hardiness by grafting and propagating in a milder climate. The hardiness is built into the plant. I will say that they can sometimes be slow to establish, and this is the important part. Any tree should be planted early and well cared for in the first season, so it is well established going into it's first winter. I don't believe in bare root trees doing well, too slow to establish, or over wintering in a pot. They should always be planted in the ground and well mulched. I do think they prefer a more acidic soil. Ours is neutral approx. 6-7ph, so I spread sulphur everywhere every couple of years to acidify a little.(I don't like pink hydrangeas, prefer blue) I saw a study once, out of U of Michigan I think, where when they tested plants, and they found that plants growing in acidic soil seemed a little hardier than the same plants growing in more alkaline soils. In the past I have used geo-textile fleece as a winter cover for the first few winters, but snow makes a great insulator as well. I get a bit of tip dieback sometimes, but it doesn't matter since they grow back very well, as if they were pruned. There is a sort of wilt going around in J. maples lately, others have noticed as well. It doesn't hurt the tree, it just attacks some of the newest growing tips as they are finished flushing out in summer....sort of self pruning. We regularly get to minus 22 celcius (-10 far.)here most winters, with minimal problems. Even with last winter, the worst in 20 yrs., there were no losses. The only damage I ever notice is the heavy snow pack in spring, will sometimes crack the weeping types as it weighs them down and melts. Variegated types do seem less hardy, possibly due to the fact that variegation is a mutation and therefore weaker. Red and green types are perfectly hardy. They all seem hardier as they get older. thanks, Rich

Tricea, The Hydrangea lecture that was presented by both Scotts and Polly Hill Arboretum last summer spent a good amount of time reviewing new and old cultivars that grow well in my zone. I have scanned the handouts from that lecture as well as the Dirr Hydrangea handout from his lecture tour last year that we were given as well, and would be happy to email these to you or anyone else who is interested but please forward me katyguerin@comcast.net your email address as I have given up on GW mail. My notes from this lecture are pure chicken scratch but one interesting point was they felt Hydrangea petiolaris 'Firefly' is a better choice than 'Miranda'. I too have 'Miranda' but mine seems to be at a standstill and I would love to try 'Firefly' as well. Cousin to H petiolaris is Schizophragmas hydrangeoides (Japanese Climbing Hydrangea). I have fallen in love with Schizophragma Roseum the leaves are not as shiny as H petiolaris but are thick dark green with a red blush that compliments the red of the new vine growth. This has been a moderate grower for me 3' it's first year. Another Schizophragma that was mentioned for itÂs beautiful flower at the lecture was ÂMoonlightÂ, which again I would love to try. I do grow Schizophragma ÂPlatts DwarfÂ, comments had been made to itÂs slow growth made this plant not worth while but my experience has been exactly the opposite with six feet of growth the first year. I will say some of its leaves seem to be reverting to a larger leaf. Another hydrangea that I that you might want to try is ÂLilacina 7 large but a real beauty, smaller 3-5 and new to me but my overall favorite Hydrangea serrata 'Miyama Yae-murasaki', Unusual in size 2 x 3 and blossom is another serrata ÂShirifugiÂ. Some small sized macrophyllaÂs that were recommended at the lecture that I am going to try this year are the City Lights Series, ÂViennaÂ, ÂParisÂ, ÂVeniceÂ, and ÂBerlinÂ. I will take a walk around the yard and see what else comes to mind. kt