It sounds like the winter protection is failing if it dies to the ground. Consider increasing the distance between the ends of the stems (that is where the flower buds are) and the burlap/chicken wire. Maybe allow 6" of more from the ends of the stems to the cage or the top of the structure. Then either pile even more leaves than you have used before or try using mulch instead of leaves.It can be hard to find a sweet spot that will keep the buds from drying. That is the problem with mopheads. Wish they would not advertise them as ok to grow in Zone 5, don't you? I had a Sun Goddess once that also looked pretty when the leaves were yellow. I did not care for the contrast of yellow & the pink blooms though; I cut the blooms early one year. The yellow and pink combo did not quite work for me. Ha!

Interesting, why would someone's transgender status need to be mentioned on a cooking show? Isn't just a fact of their life, like, I dunno, eye color, and doesn't have a bearing on their cooking ability? I imagine it's a difficult life to lead, so maybe it is necessary to mention to help the rest of us become more familiar with it and not view it as outside the mainstream. But without watching the show mentioned, I'm curious how it comes up. What's GWTW? First a disclaimer: I am a fan of the Simpson's. I know many are put off by the humor but I find *most* of it clever and funny. Even though I still enjoy that show, I am more and more disturbed by much of what I find on tv. I guess I've become more prudish or something but I just don't see the need for so much sex talk and drug use references and crudeness. Of course, I have the option, which I exercise, to change the channel or turn the tv off. But why is it necessary on show after show after show? When is Downton Abbey coming back?! I'll finally have something, besides the Simpson's, that I enjoy. Somewhat related to crudeness on tv: can someone tell me why in every pix I see of Miley Cyrus, she's sticking out her tongue? Is that suppose to be sexy? Funny? I don't understand why an attractive young woman would make such an unattractive face, over and over again.

Can't quite understand why this woody shrub would be used in locations where it can't grow to its potential. But, people are using Crape myrtles in that way, too. I have not grown this particular Vitex, but chaste trees are relatively popular in the south, quite often grown as a multi-trunked specimen. The foliage looks very much like marijuana, so be prepared for that. Bees are very attracted to the flowers, which is a treat to see in the garden. Your shrub will never reach anymore than 2-3 feet, I wouldn't think. They bloom on new wood.

Rant - Received a bill from the anesthesiologist company that dated back to DS2's birth almost two years ago. It was with our old insurance but is covered. For some reason they didn't respond or pay that so we received a bill. I got to play middle man calling back and forth trying to straighten everybody out. Four phone calls. Oh the joy. I think all is well now but I will be following up. Rant 2 - AT&T's live chat pisses me off. Wasted four hours of my life dealing with them (I'm not exaggerating) when we didn't have cell signal. It was becoming a regular thing for a while. They insisted it was our SIM cards (both of them and my neighbors. . . ) and not the towers. *eye roll* I finally agreed to go to the store and have them changed (for free) just so I could mark it off the list. I was still walking into the store when the girl confirmed, what I already knew, a tower was down in my area. Grr. That's the really condensed story. I filled our my customer survey for the chat. Rave - DS1 finished his swimming lessons yesterday and before being the last one out of the water he asked the helpers/guards if he could go down the large water slide. He can't swim yet. They agreed and he ended up going twice. One helped him up the stairs and two waited at the bottom to grab him after he went in. He was so happy! In general I found all those kids (teens/helpers/guards) to be very encouraging and kind to all the kids the two weeks they had lessons. Side note - The pool isn't open during lessons and all the other kids and parents were gone before the sliding took place. The instructor was fine with it. She taught me how to swim and did all my trainings and certifications so we were finishing a catch up. Rave 2 - Thought were were going to have to replace our water softener but all is well.