Mimosas are indeed invasive. When we bought our house, our 1/2 acre back yard was more than half populated with them (of the trees that were there; it was pretty full, too). We cut all but one on our property and were constantly amazed at how many came up from seed every year (and back again and again from the roots like hydras until we rounded up the stumps). The neighbor clear cut his backyard in 01 (not a good thing except for the mimosas), and so theirs were gone, and we are next to sewer easement and we cut all those out, too. The last one on our prop, an enormous one about 65' tall and with a 2 trunk base bigger than i could reach around, was probably the mother of all of the many ones, planted there in the mid 60's when the houses were built, is my guess. We decided to let it live its natural span, knowing it had to be old and not have too many more years. It finally succumbed to a lightening strike or disease or something and had 2 huge checks running down each trunk so we cut it this past summer (we measured it when we cut it to get the height). The hummers and butterflies missed it, and i, its color, but i will NEVER miss pulling all those seedlings. As it is, we'll be pulling them for a few yrs yet til they get exhausted. I would only ever recommend having one in the middle of an area that could be mowed regularly, and kept in full sun to limit the size, and even then would only plant the red cultivar which seems less vigorous. Personally, i'd never have one again, no matter how pretty.

That was several years ago so it is getting to be between 1-2'. Still shutdown for the winter along with half of everything else though. But that means about half is also waking up. In the Fall, I was actually thinking it and other shrubs would be fully leafed out by now because during the last two years, winters here were mild so everything leafed out or bloomed extremely early (January). But this year, we had a lot of temp zig zags and those bushes that leafed out or bloomed early had their new growth killed by a cold snap. Forsythia is now blooming though. Flowering Quince tried to start blooming at the end of Jan but a cold snap in February killed the blooms and it is now leafing out with a few blooms again. Roses here are leafing out for the 2nd time. The early blooming camellias got delayed and are now trying to bloom. And the hydrangeas? Still snoring but... I saw an oakleaf in another town west of me with leaf out. Hopefully that means I will see leaf out soon as well. How's the weather in GA?

Hello from Texas, Putri, and congratulations on your purchase. You did not mention the variety so I will assume that you purchased a mophead, a.k.a. as a French Hydrangea. All hydrangeas will do well in a location where they get four hours of morning sun or less. Dappled sun under trees will also work. Full shade locations (like under some trees) will limit the number of blooms that the plants produces so do not choose location where the sun does not reach and where indirect sunlight from the other surfaces does not. Also, locate the plant label that comes with most plants and verify that the hydrangea can be planted in your climate zone. In northern climates such as the Northeastern States, you can even plant hydrangeas in full sun but, in more southern locales like Texas and Florida, I would select a location where they get shade starting around 11am or they might suffer from sunscald. Some hot locations may actually be too hot for hydrangeas as they need also need to go dormant during winter months. Note the estimated size of the plant at maturity and pick a spot where the plant will fit; you do not want to have to transplant it in later years and you definitely do not want to prune it every year either. Most mopheads will need about six feet. Your location should have soil that drains well. Most hydrangeas will tolerate some clay in the soil but Oakleaf Hydrangeas will quickly suffer from root rot if allowed to get their feet wet for long periods of time (months). The availability of moisture in the selected location is important. An overhang in your house may prevent rain from reaching the plant so make sure the soil can be kept moist, not wet. It is best to allow the soil to almost dry and then water. On a new plant, you may need to water it one gallon of water once/twice a week, depending on the temperatures. Watering slowly and deeply is best. Because new plants suffer from wilting due to moisture issues, I suggest that you manually check the soil moisture daily by inserting a finger into the soil to a depth of 3-4 inches (7.5-10 cm). If it feels dry or almost dry then water; otherwise wait. Then observe how often you have to water (every 2/3/4 days and set your sprinkler to water 1 gallon of water on that schedule. When temperatures change by 10-15 degrees F and stay there, I manually check again to see if I need to water more. If the plant looks EXTREMELY wilted, give it some water immediately. But in most cases, try not to water a plant that is wilting if the soil feels wet; in most cases the plant will recover by bed time or next morning on its own. Wilting episodes start at the end of Spring and end in the Fall. In northern climates, you can fertilize new shrubs with 1 cup of manure or cottonseed meal in June. Remove the mulch, water, spread the fertilizer and water again. Here in the South, I fertilize twice, in May and July. Keep the plant well mulched with 3-4 inches of acidic mulch up to the drip line; and maybe a little past that if you live in a hot location. You may not have to fertilize on your first year as most potted plants already contain slow-release fertilizers (can you notice some of those fertilizer colored balls in your pot?). If your soil is not acidic, you may want to amend the soil in spring with aluminum sulfate or powdered Sulphur to prevent the leaves from developing iron chlorosis. Chelated iron products can also be used. Some plant nurseries sell a pH measuring kit that can help you determine the acidity of your soil. These kits are not accurate but should provide you with a good guesstimate. Kits that give you numbered results are better choices than others which just say that the soil is acid by color choices (it is hard to remember the exact hue of the color you had on prior tests). pH Levels between 5 and 7 are best. At approx. readings of 6.2, mopheads will begin to bloom blue flowers; above that they will bloom pink flowers. You can also grow hydrangeas in pots too. Does all that help you Putri? Luis

The best I have seen have been on south facing walls or fences, both in Albany and across the street, getting only late afternoon sun. They like a bit extra moisture so don't mind a damp spot. Check the soil Ph to determine the colour.