Nana, I like the table and it doesn't make me blue, just the shorter days and chilly nights. The blue color represents my feelings about the end of summer and with that the necessity of putting away my gazebos and outdoor furniture and outdoor decor, the dying of my flower garden and eventual coming of winter. Punk, I have had the gingham plates and the floral goblets for quite a while, just finally got around to using them in a tablescape. I have lots of fall and Halloween decor. I just need the mental acceptance of fall to get them out, LOL I'm still in deep denial. Thanks, Candy

Hello, monsteraston. I had one Sun Goddess on the west side of the house, protected by a pine tree but it did not work well there, tried to move it elsewhere and it eventually peetered out. But give it a try and feel free to move them if things do not work out. The highest point, temperature wise, happens between 5-6pm in the summer. I have mine getting sun up to 11am or 12pm only (at most). As for drip, drip has never worked for me by itself here in Texas on hydrangeas (especially macrophyllas). During the worst of the summer, when temps get from 95-115 and temps go down below 100 between 9-10pm, you will need to monitor the plants frequently in order to detect when the leaves begin to wilt. Once that happens and the temps stay there, water once a week, by hand, all around the shrub. Do this in addition to the drip because drip does not get all of the surface roots moist. I usually watered very early in the mornings by hand on Sunday and let drip give them 1 gallon per watering on Tuesday and Thursday mornings (1 g in Spring and 1.5g in the summer). And by the way, on year one, I suggest not letting drip alone handle the watering of thirsty plants like this unless you are checking the plants. Add plenty of compost to the soil and keep 3-4" of mulch a little past the drip line.

Hi, irawon :) Plain blue and chartreuse or yellow really look great together. This colour combination is perfectly seen on hosta Touch of Class. I just stole the Mother Nature's idea. Kiwi Blue baby is small to medium. My plant is only 2 years old, so it looks more like small. By the way it's parent is Halcyon. zkathy, that's really true. Frankly speaking, I prefer Halcyon even to Bulletproof. Linda's Garden, yes, me too. It grows quite well for a giant hosta. koffman99, I wish I could water my garden as often as it needs. But I wisit summerhouse only on weekends. Fortunately it's been raining for two days. don_in_colorado, I think, you would like it, it's an Olga's hosta. There are several photos at Fransen hosta nursery website.

The concern in zone 5 is normally that of getting reliable bloomage. From the sound of your experience with the other mophead, there is a chance that the rebloomers ES and NB may perform as those rebloomers are intended to do. I doubt the shrubs may get 10' in places where winter kill dries out all the stems but, if the stems were not to die and the plant gets more than 6', you could do rejuvenation pruning and cut down 1/3 of the stems in three consecutive years. One concern is that some people in zones 4-5 have had issues with ES not blooming during their whole growing season. The landscaper's phrase 'will not survive winter' actually refers to the fact that in some cold zones like yours, the stems above the ground may dry out and die during winter (unless you winter protect). The roots should stay alive. The dead stems contain invisible flower buds developed on the prior August-September and the buds should usually open in the early Spring. But Winter in your zone will usually kill these stems & buds (unless you winter protect them). On the other hand, since ES and NB are considered rebloomers. They should still develop new growth (stems) from the base in Spring. And when the new stems get tall/old enough, the stems should develop flower buds and these flower buds should open... in mid to late summer. Other hydrangeas that bloom reliably and are not affected by winter kill in Z5 are the hydrangea paniculatas (white blooms that turn shades of pink) and the Annabelle-like hydrangeas. No blues or purples with those though. If you want to try ES & NB, try "baby steps" first to see what happens. I would then buy a Nantucket Blue and observe how it performs. Fertilize once in Spring and do not prune it after the month of June. The next year, buy more NB if all goes well...