Generally, swarming bees do not attack, because they have nothing to defend (no honey, no children). However, I wouldn't try to remove them without a beesuit. I am really surprised that none of the local beekeepers want to help you. Geez, that's a real drag--certatinly wouldn't happen in our neighborhood. The bees won't stay in a clump on a branch for very long--they will try to find a real home within a day or two, so you can just wait until they leave. Unfortunately, they may decide to move from the tree to somewhere in your house, which would make the problem go from bad to worse. So, what's to do? Well, by any chance do you have a bee supply place locally? If so, you could purchase a standard beehive box, and put them in there. Or, you could put them in a box of some sort, and take them out of town. To move them at all, however, you'll need to either buy a beesuit, or figure out some way to cover yourself completely. Some form of netting over the head is essential--if bees are going to attack (not likely in this case, but there's no sense taking a chance), plus long overalls, leather gloves, workboots and trousers with the cuffs taped shut. That ought to keep you save. Hope this helps.

Virtually ALL hydrangea "trees" are some sort of paniculata, but the cultivars can vary. Macrophyllas and other 'old wood' varieties do not lend themselves to the routine pruning these need and they also are extremely difficult to train into a single, clear trunk. And Annabelles and other arborescens just produce too large an inflorescence on too weak of a stem to make a good standard. But......having said that, I've never seen any cultivar of paniculata that produced flowers in that manner......or any other hydrangea species for that matter. I'd be somewhat suspect of this plant -- not that it isn't a hydrangea (definitely is) but that there may be something else amiss with it. Perhaps a virus. Or maybe just stressed from hanging out at HD without proper attention :-) I'd wait and see. Regardless, you'll still be within their gauranty period if you confirm next season that all is not well. And jean's right....give that puppy a good drink!!

First it is good to identify what kind of hydrangea you have. If it blooms pink or blue then you have H. macrophylla which should NOT be pruned in the fall (otherwise you cut the flower buds off). What gardening zone are you in? Perhaps zone 5? If so, you might also be getting winter freeze on the buds and killing the flowers that way. 'Endless Summer' is one hydrangea was developed to overcome winter bud kill because it can bloom on new wood. Please look at the site below for lots more information about caring for hydrangeas. Here is a link that might be useful: Very good site on the care of hydrangeas

It's not so much an issue of the roots intermingling - that happens in nature all the time and is usually not a concern. Most plants can live in rather close proximity with others and root intermingling is common. What I would be concerned about is the mature sizes of the plants in question. Many hydrangea varieties can get rather large - 6'x6' is not uncommon - and identifying the existing shrubs will determine what their mature size will be. Shrubs that grow into each other afa the top growth is concerned can (and often do) present issues - shading, overcrowding, lack of air circulation (which can all promote disease issues) and the need for frequent pruning. So space the plants out appropriately for what their mature size is expected to be. And remember that any shrubs or trees do not reach some predetermined height and automatically stop growing. They will continue to put on new growth until they die so allow some wiggle room unless you want to prune often. And be sure to site plants according to their light and watering needs as well.