I prefer the deep pink of GE and it just gets loaded with flowers. They do look nice planted near each other because althought they are different colors they play off each other nicely. My Preziosa gets pretty speckly and I don,t care for that but I love that it gets flowers at different colors stages on it. Last year was my first year with blooms on it so it will be interesting to see how it develops this year.

Water - if the soil feels dry or almost to a depth of 3-4 inches then water 1g of water. Mulch to maintain moisture in the soil. If you notice that you water every 3/4/5 days using this approach, set your sprinkler to water 1g of water on the same frequency. If your soil is sandy, increase the amount of water by 30-50%. When temperatures change 10-15 degrees and stay there, re-check using this method and take appropriate action by either watering more often, increasing the amount of water or both. Wilting - on its first year, hydrangeas will often wilt as temperatures rise. Their large leaves make the plant loose water moisture faster than they can absorb through the roots. It is common in all large leaved shrubs. But at first, it shocks you. Established plants (1 year or older) can handle this better but even they will suffer sometimes during summer. In the mean time, if you see extreme wilting, water immediately. Otherwise wait until next morning. By next morning, most hydrangeas will recover. If not recovered by then, add 1/2 gallon of water. Hint: always water the soil and not the leaves. Also, water early in the mornings. You can water the leaves if the water had liquid seaweed as it can be absorbed through the leaves too. Since the plant does not have an extensive root system yet, water near the base of the plant. Keep an eye on soil moisture during the first year! Plant in well draining acidic soil where it gets morning sun until 12pm or earlier. If your soil is not acidic, add lots of organic compost when planting and annually ammend with garden sulphur and-or aluminum sulfate. Fertilize in May & July with 1/2 to 1 cup of manure or cottonseed meal. Skip feeding the first year if you wish since the plant has been fertilized by the nursery in its pot already. Apply weak fertilizers like liquid seaweed, liquid fish and coffee grounds until August. In August, stop all forms of fertilizing so the plant can prepare for winter. In those rare years when you have to prune, do so after blooming but before the start of August. That is the approximate time when GE will begin developing flower buds for next Spring. Glowing Embers resists turning blue so it will have a shade of pink blooms in alkaline soils and purple-ish in acidic soils. Good luck with your Glowing Embers, nattycat. Luis Luis

Yes, you will need to keep the pH of the soil near Neutral (pH 6.5-7.5) to obtain the red flowers. If planted in acidic soil, the flowers will be purple, jf the alkalinity is too high, they tend to be pink. Check some of the local nurseries to see if they carry these or can obtain one for you. The plant you will receive from WG is a rooted cutting in a 4" pot and very pricey @ $17, including shipping. Check some of the online nurseries that specialize in Hydrangeas; HydrangeasPlus.com, NantucketHydrangeas.com, hydrangeas.com are some of the better known ones. You should be able to find a gallon (or equvalient) sized plant for a little more than the WG price. Rb

I don't think you killed the plants. Amac even with the risk of overwatering, I would water the heck out of those plants to flush out some of that fertilizer. With the closed drainage holes, the fertilizer hasn't had an opportunity to run out so it's been sitting there by the roots for a month. Also, I would not use a rooting fertilizer. That's fine the day you plant into the ground, but after that I think it sets the plants back. JMO of course. If you want to use the flowers as cut flowers, I would be tempted to cut them now if the plants are going downhill fast. Hydrangea blooms wont fade too much by next week. It all depends on how fast the plants spring back now that the holes are opened. See what they look like in 24 hours. In the long run, they'll probably be fine. ~MH