Renee, I agree with most people on here, especially about Roses Unlimited and Antique Rose Emporium. I had a 50+ rose garden in a limited space in Florida (high humidity), and grew a few Austins. They took a lot of care: regular spraying, well spaced apart, and lots of air flow. The blackspot battle during the worst of the humidity was a pain, but the scent of those roses was so well worth it. Belinda's Dream bought from Roses Unlimited was the spectacular show off in the garden, yielding over 300+ blooms for months and months in a row. It had a 10 month season, and smelled like cotton candy. I also recommend Outta the Blue, which had a black pepper/rose scent that I planted right at the edge of the walkway at the driveway. Tamora, Sharifa Asma, Fair Bianca, and other Austins whose names escape me now, were amazing! Pat at Roses Unlimited knew exactly which roses to recommend to me for my microclimate, so make sure to speak with her if you want the best and most successful roses. The Austins were NOT carefree, but I knew that before I bought them. I also had hybrid teas; lots of them, and again, Pat helped me select the least fussy ones. I mixed herbs, veggies, perennials and a few annuals among the garden, and lots of glass oddities. It was beautiful! Remember: did a million dollar hole, and that's half the battle.

Oath5, An oldy-but-goody is the Pee Gee Hydrangea. If you explore old 19th century graveyards, you'll see it was frequently used. The blossoms turn wonderful sepia tones late in the season, that dry easily, and can be brought indoors for decorating until you get tired of them. Here's an old comment I took from the Sears Henry Heirloom Plant Collection: "The introduction of the hardy Japan Hydrangea (Hydrangea paniculata grandiflora) in 1874 awakened a new interest in this genus of plants. With its immense panicles of white flowers, The Great-Flowering Hydrangea is a shrub well worthy of a prominent position in every garden. Its flowers appear at a season when few others are in bloom. It is a very free growing shrub, easily propagated, and thrives in all kinds of soils." - Orchard and Garden, A.S. Fuller, Aug. 1888 Here is a link that might be useful: The 1893 Sears Henry Heirloom Plant Collection

sunnytop, contrary to what wildtek said, I wouldn't suggest to plant barely rooted cuttings in ground NOW even in z6 NE. Let them be outdoor till night temperatures will be above 35-38F or untill foliage will fall naturaly whichever come first. Then bring them indoor and try to keep them leafless(dormant) for as long as it will be possible till spring. To achieve that you have to find relatively cold (40-50F) and not very lit space. You would need to water them (sparsly) from time to time, but do not overwater. I'd also replant them now in 4" to 1G pots filled with well draining peat based mix. DO NOT PUT ANY FERTILIZER INTO MIX and DO NOT USE POTTING SOIL WITH MIRACLE GRO IN IT! Good luck.

Hello from Texas, Putri, and congratulations on your purchase. You did not mention the variety so I will assume that you purchased a mophead, a.k.a. as a French Hydrangea. All hydrangeas will do well in a location where they get four hours of morning sun or less. Dappled sun under trees will also work. Full shade locations (like under some trees) will limit the number of blooms that the plants produces so do not choose location where the sun does not reach and where indirect sunlight from the other surfaces does not. Also, locate the plant label that comes with most plants and verify that the hydrangea can be planted in your climate zone. In northern climates such as the Northeastern States, you can even plant hydrangeas in full sun but, in more southern locales like Texas and Florida, I would select a location where they get shade starting around 11am or they might suffer from sunscald. Some hot locations may actually be too hot for hydrangeas as they need also need to go dormant during winter months. Note the estimated size of the plant at maturity and pick a spot where the plant will fit; you do not want to have to transplant it in later years and you definitely do not want to prune it every year either. Most mopheads will need about six feet. Your location should have soil that drains well. Most hydrangeas will tolerate some clay in the soil but Oakleaf Hydrangeas will quickly suffer from root rot if allowed to get their feet wet for long periods of time (months). The availability of moisture in the selected location is important. An overhang in your house may prevent rain from reaching the plant so make sure the soil can be kept moist, not wet. It is best to allow the soil to almost dry and then water. On a new plant, you may need to water it one gallon of water once/twice a week, depending on the temperatures. Watering slowly and deeply is best. Because new plants suffer from wilting due to moisture issues, I suggest that you manually check the soil moisture daily by inserting a finger into the soil to a depth of 3-4 inches (7.5-10 cm). If it feels dry or almost dry then water; otherwise wait. Then observe how often you have to water (every 2/3/4 days and set your sprinkler to water 1 gallon of water on that schedule. When temperatures change by 10-15 degrees F and stay there, I manually check again to see if I need to water more. If the plant looks EXTREMELY wilted, give it some water immediately. But in most cases, try not to water a plant that is wilting if the soil feels wet; in most cases the plant will recover by bed time or next morning on its own. Wilting episodes start at the end of Spring and end in the Fall. In northern climates, you can fertilize new shrubs with 1 cup of manure or cottonseed meal in June. Remove the mulch, water, spread the fertilizer and water again. Here in the South, I fertilize twice, in May and July. Keep the plant well mulched with 3-4 inches of acidic mulch up to the drip line; and maybe a little past that if you live in a hot location. You may not have to fertilize on your first year as most potted plants already contain slow-release fertilizers (can you notice some of those fertilizer colored balls in your pot?). If your soil is not acidic, you may want to amend the soil in spring with aluminum sulfate or powdered Sulphur to prevent the leaves from developing iron chlorosis. Chelated iron products can also be used. Some plant nurseries sell a pH measuring kit that can help you determine the acidity of your soil. These kits are not accurate but should provide you with a good guesstimate. Kits that give you numbered results are better choices than others which just say that the soil is acid by color choices (it is hard to remember the exact hue of the color you had on prior tests). pH Levels between 5 and 7 are best. At approx. readings of 6.2, mopheads will begin to bloom blue flowers; above that they will bloom pink flowers. You can also grow hydrangeas in pots too. Does all that help you Putri? Luis