Gosh, colors are a difficult subject as what one person calls red, another might call differently; different PC monitors do not help either. But, here is a link of an older bush courtesy of mobot.org that might help. You can see several stems in there.

Here is a link that might be useful:

Thanks for the link, Luis. My stem is a lighter red, but it's probably a lot younger than those in the photo. I'll assume I have Little Lamb. I just hope it's an actual hydrangea, not a weed I'm cultivating because it sprang up in the spot where I used to have a hydrangea. :-)

Hi Alisande - I think at best, reddish beige ... I don't have young stems to base this on, but the newer stems are, indeed! I believe that most newer developing stems, may have that pinkish tone to the green ... beautiful I think!!! Since we are of similar zones, perhaps even conditions ... yours might grow similarly! There are 3 stray cats guarding our neighborhood-beauties from munchers!!!

I've posted my '08 LL pics in another thread ... DK if you can see stem color thru the blooms! LOL!

I intend to hard prune come June to try & achieve a smaller, rounder bush & w/ fingers crossed, perhaps get Li'l Lambs instead of big rams! Don't like the looks of big guys splaying down, like football players in a huddle!!! LOL

Here is a link that might be useful: LL in '08

I recall seeing a H. Quickfire at a garden center last year and noted how the stems were so reddish -- and much more so than mine. The owner of the store said it depends on how much sun it gets.

do you concur?

For comparison, here is a picture of my Little Lamb. It was just a 1 gallon planted last summer. The stems do have some red on them, but they are not as dark as Pinky Winky.

Thanks, Macgyver. Yeah, that's probably what I have. Very pretty! But why aren't the "little lambs" dancing atop the foliage? :-)

They only do that when no one is looking!

G'morning - I browsed many Lil Lamb threads trying to see if Marshall has posted a '09 photo of his impressive *LL's planted around an Ohio Library flag pole* ... couldn't seem to find. Please guide me to the thread if you have seen it.

I brought this thread back up, as it was here I posted my LL photos (for look see). From experience, I agree with Ego45 & Ostritch that maintenance requirements are a bit high for good looks. I have staked & woven a network of nylon hose trying to make this little guy presentable (we are tornado prone). I posted in another thread that I intend to hard prune this Spring to try & see if a smaller & rounder shrub can be achieved.

My ?? ... has anyone tried surrounding the shrub with fencing wire, ala solution on Annable's splaying habits after rain ... in my LL's case the river rocks floorings under, burn those little guys as the lay there.

TIA for your input!!! Â;)

I think if you're trying to change the habit of Little Lamb...good luck. I'm pretty sure the plant is MEANT to lay on the ground...to look like lambs resting. Or rather, we have a weak stemmed hydrangea that has the added benefit of looking like lambs on the ground when the stems fail to keep the flowers upright. I might be totally wrong, but that's the way I grow it. I love them on the ground.

This is what Bluestone says about Little Lamb. (It was based on this description that I ordered mine.)

The petite clusters resemble little lambs gamboling atop the foliage.

Lovely description...and it's a lovely plant. Not often you see the word gamboling, love it. The flowers are gorgeous and they gambol in spring...maybe the first year. By the end of the summer, they're enormous...not petite. Mine are a good 8-12 inches...on pruned 4-5 year plants.

Including a pic of year 2, I think. You can see the flowers are not petite...and not gamboling. And, given the state of my urn we aren't anywhere near the end of the season.

Sorry, Webshots has turned out to be about the worst place to store my pics.

Here is a link that might be useful: Little Lamb

Ditto Isimms - On "... gamboling etc" happily!!! Even on their 1st season, my Lil Ls just loved to lazy their days away!!! LOL

If you haven't taken a peek yet at my posted pix, may I invite you to & see why I'm attempting to try & save the lower lambs from getting toasted as they lay on hot river-rocks bed.

Well, soon after I posted my ?? above, temps zoomed like it was Jun ... so *strike while the iron is hot* right? ... I got a bit carried away with my hand pruner ... found myself w/ a lopper in hand & ended up w/ just the 7-30" tall, tick center canes ... bundled them together loosely & w/ fingers crossed, hope for some *gamboling* Lil Lambs in the breeze by July!!!

Â;))

Wow, wonderful plants! Thanks ditas. And you're showing me Picassa is the perfect place for pics. They're pretty upright. Ya know, I might snip those uprights off, come to think of it. I need a low lamb. I'd say those definitely gambol. Thanks, I stand corrected. I suspect, like a little lamb, it can be directed.

G'morning lsimms - Thanks! A couple of years ago my son had to spoon-feed me on creating my 'pictorial garden journal' & eventually showed me 'how to post' the albums it's been fun posting tho sometimes my pics could be too much as they are in album forms.

Lil Lamb that I pruned to the bare tall & thick-center-canes, took a bit of time to form those bumps due to thickness of canes, I suppose. Quite a number are sprouting at the very base of the main trunk ... I fear LL will insist on his nature & won't allow me to redesign him! LOL The tall canes are as well eagerly budded up ... would be interesting to see how he turns out to be like as he branches & leafs out!

Ego45 - I hope you're checking out this thread ... I'm curious to know what you've decided to do with your LL this season?!

FWIW - TIA