Aren't those things a pain? I don't know which bugs me more, the "surveys" or those annoying gum ads.

Yes: If the front of the house is not geometrically symmetric a matching pair will not go with the house. Instead choose two additional kinds of shrubs for the other side that together will grow about as large as the hydrangea will by itself. If the hydrangea is taken to be the large shrub in the arrangement, then a small-growing shrub and a medium-growing shrub on the other side would balance it. Informal balance instead of formal balance. Still balanced, just not formally.

Hi again Pam - I'm getting curiouser & curiouser about your protective boxes - can't wait to see them even if we're still months away ... always good to learn of new, easier & effective over-wintering methods! Better safe than sorry, right?! I did not cover my 5 paniculata bushes & Kyushu tree as I figured, if the 3 older ones survived the 2wks of April '07 deep freeze & flowered just profusely/beautifully all the same the 2 new ones would too! An ES enthusiast named Phil from ME ( in last year's Hayseedman's Overwintering thread) shared his very creative style too, using PVC tubings and insulating paper. He couldn't post his pics so I emailed him directly and very kindly responded with his quite instructive & detailed photos!!! His gorgeous ES, more than 20 of them, if memory serves me, were planted in the foundation, garden strips around his house. I went back to his Email but the photos were no longer there, too bad! :-( I even teased him that his creative method should make for a good PVC tubing commercial & award him bonuses for his ingenuity!!! I hope we see his post again & perhaps get him to post his photos again!

Brandon - I hesitate to post a reply because I may be leaving out something that would be really interesting since I am not familiar with most of these. But here goes - Agastache 'Golden Jubilee' Aristolochia fimbriata - Variegated Dutchman's Pipe I'm sure the milkweeds would be wonderful, I just don't know which ones :-( Caryopteris x clandonensis 'Blue Mist' - Blue Mist Spirea Clerodendron ugandense - Blue Glory Bower Ceratotheca triloba - Lavender South African Foxglove Hydrangea quercifolia - Oakleaf Hydrangea Papaver - mixed Poppies (mostly orange, red, and pink) Penstemon x mexicali 'Red Rocks' - Red Rocks Beardtongue Hope you'll be bringing at least some of this list!!! Thanks, Frances