Yea I moved around some coneflowers this year and they were fine also. I gave some Shasta Daisies away and trashed the rest. Those coneflowers in front of my LD popped up beside where my downspouts drain off my garage. Years ago we dug a big dry well with small gravel for the downspouts and stacked some big rocks on top to make it look better. The closest coneflower is atleast 12 feet away. I guess they liked the moist soil there and some how seeds found their way over there. On the south side of my home I had a clump of Rudbeckia that spread the entire length of the 30 foot bed across the front. I let them stay and just made the bed wider to accommodate them. I am starting to believe global warming is real now and we did jump a climate zone. I have never seen things spread this aggressively before. In the past my BB and LD have been some of my most reliable reblooming Macs. I have one of each doing great like prior years, but others just growing foliage like crazy. Couple weeks ago I gave them some 0-45-0 to try to snap them back out of it. My 2 older original ES are having an ok year at best. They both put on 6-8 flowers and just sort of stalled out. No more new foliage or flowers so far. I dont think the macs have enjoyed this wacky up and down weather this year. Although my Twist n Shouts, Summer Lace, and 3 out of 4 Blue Heavens are having their best years ever. All other Macs seem to be suffering to one to degree or another. Very confusing on what is to blame exactly and how to remedy it. Especially when they are all having different issues.

Haholic I bet you will defentily get more flowers this year. Mine continued to rebloom all last year also like ego's. But the 5 gallom far out preformed they other two smaller ones put together plus some. I completely agree with ego to not pass judgement for 2 or 3 years. Have to let them settle in and grow a proper root system. Also agree about the wider than taller growth. I like it and think that it makes them unigue. Expecially in our zone where our choices are more limited on Macrophylla Hydrangeas. They also have a very light green foilage that tolerates the sun better than most rebloomer macs in my yard.

Springwood Gardens: Thanks for the info. I probably won't end up using Moonlight if it tends to be on the paler side. I'm actually going to be replacing my existing Endless Summer with whatever I end up planting. I'm looking for a hydrangea that offers more vivid color and doesn't get as larger as Endless Summer....so maybe Rhapsody Blue or Blue Jangle? nhbabs: Thanks for the good advice. I agree. I actually have a low row of dwarf boxwoods that edge the garden...so they will be in front of the hydrangeas to provide year round color. This post was edited by Dayscapes_z7a_MD on Sat, Aug 16, 14 at 23:07

I had a small pile of maple leaves on my RB, and a small amount of old wood survived up to 6-8". Nonetheless, the biggest broccoli-stage blooms are on completely new wood. The bloom size isn't advertised as very large, but we shall see - last year from the nursery the blooms were like 4-6" in diameter. There are about 6 new big canes that will bloom. The exact cane-height and bloom size will be determined (they're both usually an energy trade-off). But I will post back with pictures later in this or a similar thread. With application #1 of 10-10-10 granules, regular watering, and some rain, it's really taking off now. Old wood buds have been slow to start on all plants because the canes were freeze-damaged pretty good. In some cases, the bud survived but the cane didn't! And that is noted by a bud that breaks dormancy and greens up, but then abruptly turns brown and falls off once no more nutrients are provided.