I don't live anywhere nearby-I'm in Texas...but would you be interested in trading a few cuttings of your Nikko ????? I have 'florence vaughan' canna, unnamed yellow canna, e. ear, staghorn fern, green butterfly philodendron, andpossibly others. LMK if you would like to trade..

I usually saturate the soil and then use around two tablespoons per gallon of aluminum sulphate, adding as much as you want basically. I've seen various recommendations about the amount and timing. But with this amount I apply it every couple of weeks or so in the very early part of their growth. Yes, I'm in the northern part of CT. That makes a big difference in comparison to those of you closer to the Sound. If we don't start getting more snow around here, I'm going to start looking to head North. I'm always suggesting Blue Billow. For me, it blooms reliably every year. Blue Wave would never bloom for me if I didn't take some overwintering precautions. I'm still waiting for the verdict on Endless Summer. With PG you can cut back the new growth pretty much as far as you want and use it as an opportunity to encougage the plant not to be so wispy. It will still flower. Good luck to you. Hay

Probably but it will take time to rebuild (several growing seasons). The plant will develop more stems from the crown at its own pace and there is no good way to force it to speed that up. To boost growth, I have sometimes added some alfalfa, alfalfa tea or blood meal (a fertilizer nigh in nitrogen) to roses but not to hydrangeas. When you add nitrogen rich fertilizers to hydrangeas, they do not react with vigorous growth like roses do (there is some reaction but do not expect the plant to double in size & number of stems like some roses can do in one season, for example). The nitrogen in the blood meal makes the plants go into "grow" mode. You can add it per label directions and add no more after the start of July. Too much nitrogen will keep the plant growing in the Fall when it should be dormant. And too much will produce less blooms or no blooms. So go easy. Alfalfa does not have nitrogen like blood meal but it contains a growth regulator/stimulant called triacontanol and it may help. The thing is, compared to roses, hydrangeas do not react vigorously when given lots of nitrogen so they may do likewise with alfalfa. Stop feeding alfalfa in July 1st as well. So, experiment to see what happens and discontinue when no longer necessary. Remember not go overboard with the blood meal or alfalfa & do not add them starting on/after July 1st. The let us know how the plants did! Luis

My mother has a plant that came labeled as Nikko Blue. However it dies back to the ground every year. So I cut off all the old stalks in spring, clean up the clump and let the new growth come on. One year I left old stalks, but they got no new growth, just dried out old stems. Blooming on new growth each year, there really is no shaping to be done. No old woody stems either. Gets about 40 inches tall, nice and lush, fuller over time. So I have to wonder if plant was mislabeled or if it grows differently in other locales. She is solid z5, with cold winters, deep snow, just south of Kalamzoo. Plant comes back nicely each year, blooms well, mid-july. Lovely flowers, very full, last a long time.