How large a container needs to be, or CAN be, and how much soil a planting needs/will tolerate before drainage & saturation is an issue depends on the 3-way relationship between plant mass, container size, and soil type. We often concern ourselves with "over-potting" (using a container that is too large), but "over-potting" is a term that arises from a lack of basic knowledge about the 3-way relationship noted, which should logically determine appropriate container size(s). It's often parroted that you should only move up one size in containers when "potting-up". The reasoning is the soil will remain wet too long and cause root rot issues, but it is the size/mass of the material and soil type/composition that determines both the upper & lower limits of appropriate container size - not consecutive volume progression. Plants grown in slow soils need to be grown in containers with smaller soil volumes so that the plant can use water quickly, allowing air to return to the soil. This (smaller soil volumes) and the root constriction that accompanies it will cause plants to extend and gain o/a mass much more slowly - a bane if rapid growth is the goal - a boon if growth restriction and a compact plant are what you have you sights set on. Conversely, rampant growth can be had by growing in very large containers and in very fast soils where frequent watering and fertilizing is required - so it's not that plants rebel at being potted into very large containers or volumes of soil per se, but rather, they rebel at being potted into very large containers with a large volume of soil that is too slow and water-retentive. We know that there is an inverse relationship between soil particle size and the height of the PWT in containers. As particle size increases, the height of the PWT decreases, until at about a particle size of just under 1/8 inch, soils will no longer hold perched water. If there is no perched water, the soil is ALWAYS well aerated, even when the soil is at container capacity (saturated). So, if you aim for a soil composed primarily of particles >1/16", there is no upper limit to container size. The lower size limit will be determined by the soil volume's ability to furnish water enough to sustain the plant between irrigations." You can grow a very small plant in a very large container if the soil holds little or no perched water (saturated soil). Al Click me for related reading Click me for more about woody things in pots

I think the Cityline series are valuable additions to spring/early summer containers. They're really different, attention-grabbing when in bloom. Pinching the tips will get them to branch, and thus flower more, the following year, if done consistently the first year ie remove each bud/growing tip as it develops, until late summer. But that means they won't bloom the first year, it's not the same thing as dead-heading. They do require lots of water, so use a water-absorbing crystals if you're not good about watering pots.

Hello, gardening grower. I assume you are talking about leaf buds? Hydrangeas of any type will often grow new stems from the crown but if all your existing old stems remain leafless by the end of May and new ones are coming from the base then it looks as of they dried out and you can prune them off. Do wait until the end of May as sometimes they are slow to leaf out. If that happened to all of the old stems then you might have problems with winter or with moisture. Winter - Cityline should be good on your zone but if this keeps happening then it may be best to winter protect. To make sure that the plant is prepared for winter, always mulch heavily and replace any missing mulch in the Fall. Then stop fertilizing around July-August to allow new tender growth to harden. If you feed past this time then early or late super cold frosts can zap flower buds or the stems. Moisture - during dry winters, it is necessary to water if the ground has not frozen. Water around once every two weeks during times when the plant is dormant. Lack of water during this time could affect the old stems. Luis

Hi Luis_pr... Have seen them offered by various nurseries, but the nursery that I purchase most of my Hydrangeas from, does not propagate Patented plants. When I purchase any plant, I want the option of reproducing them for sale or trade. Being a lawabiding person by nature, I don't want to run afoul of any Patent laws, so I don't buy them. I have an old friend that has hybridized, selected and named hundreds of plant cultivars. He has never Patented one of them and he considers anyone that does, a mercenary. He is content to share his efforts and fortuitous finds with anyone that cares to propagare them, free of charge. In any case, I would need to remove plants from the garden, to make room for any more Hydrangeas! :