i've already spent about$300 on compost and potting mix.I bought 2 yards of the potting mix for my plants I bring home from work and my ws babies.I do my own cuttings also. i use the seed exchange forum for about 95% of my seeds so not too much cost there.. just stamps I think I spent $20. recycle the bubble mailers. I used to spend a ton of money on plants. i've cut way back. hubby builds my arbors and fences and such with wood off of jobs he's done. He brought me a sunflower bird bath from a demo job and brought me posts and troughs, a swinging bench that he dug out of the dump. he's a very cool guy. my brother is giving me a bunch of pavers and edging and soil that he and his wife decided not to use. decided they don't have a green thumb and are moving to an apartment. they are taking the lavander rose I gave them as a wedding present. it was thier color for the wedding. she's going to have me pot it for her. she's afraid she'll kill it. But, back to the original question i spend about $500 a year or so. Oh, I havent gone out to Northwest gardens yet....oh my...do I hear a cha ching coming on? flowerchild5

Krissay, Where are you located? Are they mulched? How long have they been in place? If they were newly planted last year, they are working on growing roots and settling in so they have enough root structure to grow above ground. They will grow more above ground over the next years to reach size. ”How often should I water them?” That depends on where you are and temperatures and how much natural precipitation you’ve had and soil type and if they are mulched and . . . etc. The easiest way to determine if they need watering is to stick your fingers down several inches into the soil and feel how moist it is. The goal on a new plant like this is moist soil, not dry and not soggy soil. When you water, water slowly over a longer time period so that the water sinks in deeply. That encourages the roots to grow deeply, making the plants more resistant to future dry spells. Before watering again, wait until the soil is only very slightly moist. Be sure to check the original potting soil and the native garden soil around the original root ball. Mulch such as shredded bark will also help maintain more even moisture levels and keep soil temperatures more even as well as reduce weeds. Where I am, I watered my panicled hydrangeas (the species of which LL is one) for the first three years only as needed when I checked the soil. They haven’t been watered since and are now almost 10 years old, even when we had a 6 week spell of almost no precipitation a couple of summers ago. But I am in northern New England, a location where temperatures are far more moderate than in most parts of the country, and usually we get regular rain. “My LL are not growing much.” There is an old satin Gardening that the first year they sleep, the next they creep, and the third they leap, and for shrubs, it may take a bit longer. I always view gardening as a much needed (for me) life lesson in patience.

Bobo has become my favorite hydrangeas for the last 2 years. I have 2 planted in a full sun location in the fall of 2013, as 2 quarts (~ 1 ft tall) small plants ordered online since local stores did not carry them yet. Both gave nice and long blooms in 2014, and have been doing great ever since. The size is much more compact (~ 3'x3') so this is a big plus for my small chicago area lot. In spring time, I only sprinkle a little bit (1 tbs per palnt) of Miracle-Gro® Shake 'N Feed® All Purpose Continuous Release Plant Food. There are several kinds, I use the one with NPK 10-10-10. I don't typically use fertilizer but rely mostly on mulching well. I agree with NHBabs that these H. paniculatas need to have more sun for best performance. Mine is planted in the same full sun bed with cone flowers, Phlox and black eye Susan. I almost never water them so Bobo endures the summer heat and drought just as well as cone flowers, etc. I did notice that my neighbor's little Lime blooms much less as they are in a partial shade locations than my limelights (full sun). I understand the fun sun in zone 5 (chicago) may be different from other areas.

Her hee hee! I go to some nearby gardens (to get my mom to exercise) and they have these huge Oakleaf Alice hydrangeas. I finally saw the bark change there in winter. Like you said, huge leaves too but my oakleafs hide the bark with leaves in selected (most) years. The smallest always looses the leaves but I always fail to look at its bark because it is near some Crape Myrtles that also do that bark change and I always fixate on them and forget to look at Ruby Slippers due to taller evergreens that block the hydrangea a little. PeeWee also stays fully dressed in winter but others in the back may let me see the bark change one of these years. I think I saw some of their bark this year because its leaves dried out on top but the bottom ones stayed green a tad longer. Made me panic thinking it was a watering issue during winter but the soil felt moist. Gardengal48, please elaborate on the designs that you mentioned!