Hi, I like the yellows like aztec gold and pink shades. 2008 I have bought cuttings and plants of several rainbow colors to enjoy all the shades, are young plants need to grow. Hope my plumie garden will have them all someday. Karen B

Thank you! Gardenprince, it’s interesting that your James Compton is in full sun and doesn’t flower, whereas mine is in full to dappled shade and doesn’t flower. I may move the one that is in the woodland garden. The leaves are pretty but since it never achieves any height, I can’t see it there. I’ll plug one of the new species racemosa into its spot. Peren.all, NHBabs, what kind of spread does your species racemosa have? I’m staking out locations. They are coming bare root next week. I’ll have to see how Black Negligee does this year. It was a costly impulse purchase at a local nursery with high prices. It was a large specimen, though. Of course now I want it to justify my faith. The flowers did not smell bad, though: quite the opposite. I’ll have to keep my eyes open for Brunette or Hillside Black Beauty.

I don't know a lot about root stocks as a whole and pick up things here and there. I am slow sometimes. lol. The stuff online is too scientific at times and way over my head because the info is developed for experienced commercial growers rather than for the typical container gardening. I was wondering if I was the one doing something wrong or is it the tree? I have a Eureka that has been doing poorly ever since I purchased it and it's a Record Buck Farms cutting. I broke down and purchased another from Four Winds Growers and it's growing just great. So now I know it's not me. lol. Four Winds Growers doesn't want to reveal anything about their products. I tried once asking about their rootstock and they wanted to refer me to their propagator who was the owner. I felt intimidated about it because I am just the average home grower and didn't follow through. Now I wish I had because I have a lot to say about their growing practices because things have changed over the past few years. As for the Gold Nugget from FWG, I have found it to be very picky about its soil compared to my other trees. I purchased a premium and it came with a very small rootball compared to a choice Red Smith from the same place. I was extremely disappointed and told them so. Anyway, the drainage has to be really really good for the GN or it's going to get root rot. I found some this year for the first time ever on any of my trees while replanting into a different mix. It was in straight Miracle Grow Potting Mix which is fine for the majority of my trees, but not this one. I added extra mini pine bark nuggets and perlite and it is growing extremely well. That is when I realized FWG changed their rootstock in addition to their changing over from dwarf to semi dwarf size trees. It's not us or our growing methods, it's the nursery. Kendra Just said they are trying hard to keep up with the demand for trees because many nurseries are not shipping nationwide as they are. I think because of the pressure, FWG had to find something that will grow quickly to keep up with customers' demands. I am just putting 2 and 2 together to see why things are changing. I believe in the old saying, "if it's not broken, why fix it". My Meyer and Owari was purchased from them in 2002 and I love them because they are only 36"x36" right now and would like to keep them that size.

It looks great. Continue doing what you are doing. Keep the same watering regime and fertilizer program. Ask the previous owner if you just moved into the house. Add some mulch to reduce soil moisture loss and protect the roots from temperature extremes. Except for differences in stem colors and unique looking blooms, mopheads look alike too much. But regarding pruning, don't until you have a good reason to. It is a hydrangea macrophylla so it will develop invisible flower buds at the ends of the stems "soon", if it has not done so already. You can deadhead the blooms when they are spent and brown or you can leave them. If you want to deadhead them, cut the peduncle string that connects the blooms to the stems so you do not have to cut the stems.The best time to prune -if there is a good reason- is after they bloom.