Very good to hear. This was my original comment I believe :-) Definitely you'll want to mulch your tree well to help retain soil moisture, just keep the mulch about 6" from the trunk to prevent foot rot. And, I see Dr. Manners has weighed in on a regular Imidicloprid management program due to the high risk for HLB in Florida. Dr. Manners, do you have a link for Dietmar that she can follow for an Imidicloprid program? Are you all recommending something systemtic applied to the soil on a regular basis, or a foliar spraying program? Or, does it matter? We're getting very concerned here in N. San Diego county, as we've had several more instances of the ACP being found in our area. None have been found to carry HLB at this time, but as you know, it's just a matter of time for us. I may decide to start treating my nearly 70 citrus trees I have now, as as a safeguard. Patty S.

It can be. Here are a few thoughts. 1. To get and maintain purples, your soil has to be in a narrow layer of soil pH that is difficult ��"but not impossible- to achieve when planted on the ground. Add garden lime per label directions if your soil is already acidic. If your soil pH is already alkaline, add garden Sulphur, green sand, iron sulfate or aluminum sulfate per label directions. Your own soil will govern how well and which shades of purple you can get when you amend. 2. It is easier to control soil pH when you grow them in containers. In the ground, you could end up with purple sections in the bush⦠with other areas with a slightly different color (blue/pink) or shade of purple if some of the roots do not absorb the necessary minerals in the same amounts as other roots. 3. Named varieties with the word "purple" will produce good and deep purples. Glowing Embers, Enziandom, Purple Tiers, Purple Passion, Royal Purple, Nightingale, Mathilda Gutges, Marechal Foch and Merritt Supreme can give you nice purples. Enziandom leaves turn nice colors at the end of the growing season. Nightingale produces a lot of bloomage per stem. The named varieties given above produce blooms only in the Spring. 4. Colored re-blooming hydrangeas can also be useful but, they will not necessarily give the deep purples of the above named varieties. Example: the Endless Summer Series or the Forever and Ever Series. The good thing about rebloomers is that you get blooms at multiple times throughout the growing season and, as each set of blooms opens, you can see the result of changes to the soil pH, compared to the previous set of blooms. If new blooms in May were pink and if new blooms in June-July were blue, that means you have amended too much and need to tweak the soil pH in the opposite direction. So, it may take less time to get the purple shade that you/she want if you have colored rebloomers. 5. You can choose from many hydrangea macrophyllas or serratas but you will need to keep and eye on their winter hardiness (you are in Z5). Most if not all will need winter protection if planted outside in the ground. If planted in a container, you will need to bring the container into the garage or similar place during the winter months and water it once every week or once every two weeks. 6. Full sun exposure⦠it may cause the color not to be as deep as it could be because the sun may bleach the blooms a bit. Hydrangeas must have afternoon shade (or the leaves will suffer from too much sun) here but, your not-as-strong summer sun in NY may allow you to grow them in full sun. If no one in your zone & location comments, I would drive around looking for similar colored (blue/pink/purple) hydrangeas and see where they were planted (sun-wise) and if they had winter protection. Luis

Thank you so much! Like I said, I love Niagara Falls (it's very pretty, I live close to N.F. & worked at that hospital for almost 40 years so liked the idea of having a hosta by that name) but it's too big. I can plant a hosta that grows to 30" diameter max. Candy Dish looks like it should fit the bill.

If you're looking for hostas with fragrant flowers, here's my list. Don Fragrant-flowered Hostas ÂAbba Fragrant Centennial ÂAbba Fragrant Cloud ÂAustin Dickinson ÂBennie McRae ÂBette Davis Eyes ÂBuckwheat Honey ÂCathedral Windows ÂColor Parade ÂDiana Remembered ÂEmily Dickinson ÂEssence of Summer ÂFlower Power ÂForever Green ÂFragrant Blue ÂFragrant Bouquet ÂFragrant Candelabra ÂFragrant Dream ÂFragrant Fire ÂFragrant Flame ÂFragrant Gold ÂFragrant Summer ÂFried Bananas ÂFried Green Tomatoes ÂFrozen Margarita ÂGarden Bouquet ÂGleaming Glory ÂGreat River Sonata ÂGreen Summer Fragrance ÂGuacamole ÂHeaven Scent ÂHole Mole ÂHoneybells ÂHoosier Harmony ÂInvincible ÂIron Gate Bouquet ÂIron Gate Delight ÂIron Gate Glamour ÂIron Gate Special ÂIron Gate Supreme ÂJade Stone ÂMing Treasure ÂMiss Saigon ÂMistress Mabel ÂOld Faithful ÂOtome No Ka plantaginea plantaginea ÂAphrodite plantaginea ÂFragrant Flame plantaginea ÂMing Treasure ÂRippled Honey ÂRoyal Accolade ÂRoyal Standard ÂRoyal Super ÂSavannah ÂSavannah Emerald ÂSavannah Supreme ÂSeventh Heaven ÂSo Sweet ÂSombrero ÂStained Glass ÂSugar and Cream ÂSugar Babe ÂSummer Fragrance ÂSunny Delight ÂSweet Bo Peep ÂSweet Innocence ÂSweet Jill ÂSweet Marjorie ÂSweet Standard ÂSweet Sunshine ÂSweet Susan ÂSweet Winifred ÂSweetie ÂVenus ÂViette Eighteen ÂWarwick Essence ÂWhipped Cream ÂWhite Knight ÂWhite Shoulders ÂWinter Bouquet ÂYeaÂ