I mostly grow "mopheads" Macrophylla Hydrangeas, but their treatment, I believe is the same as Lacecaps which are also Macrophylla. I too have had more success, virtually leaving them unpruned and by gosh that is when they bloom the heaviest. Had too many years of bloomless hydrangeas for pruning back too far. Susan your lacecaps are beautiful and I see you too are of the same school re no-pruning. I love hydrangeas almost as much as I love my roses. I was delighted to purchase my first Endless Summer last year, and I can hardly wait for it to get going - still in that lovely blue pot that they are grown and shipped in. All but my white hydrangeas, I have tagged either "pink" or "blue". I would have thought that I had acid soil, but am having a hard time turning some of them blue, but the coffee grinds are finally working. On all tagged "pink", I give them a little lime, and all tagged "blue" I give them coffee grinds, hoping to get my blue, bluer and the pinks pinker, tee-hee!! I am using identical varieties that I am trying to change the colours as I hope to eventually have a kaleidescope of colourful hydrangeas. Hope you enjoy my hydrangea pics? Pauline - Vancouver Island

Luis gave you lots of good advice. PJM's are very easy to grow but there are come conditions that need to be met to grow any rhododendron: Â Soil Drainage: Excellent drainage is important. To test drainage, dig a hole 6 inches deep in the bed and fill it with water. If the water has not drained from the hole in four hours, install drainage tile to carry away excess water, or build raised beds. Moist well-drained soil is a must for most varieties. With poor drainage the leaves will eventually all wilt and fall off. Â Acid Soil: Most varieties require an acidic soil (pH 4.5-6). Powdered sulfur is the best agent to acidify the soil. Holly-tone has this in it. Your plants will get chlorotic (yellow leaves with green veins) if the soil is not acidic enough. Â Fertilizing: More rhododendrons are killed by too much fertilizer than not enough. Chlorosis is yellowing of a leaf between dark green veins. It is caused by malnutrition that can be caused by a wide variety of conditions. They include alkalinity of the soil, potassium deficiency, calcium deficiency, iron deficiency, magnesium deficiency, nitrogen toxicity (usually caused by nitrate fertilizers) or other conditions that damage the roots such as root rot, severe cutting of the roots, root weevils or root death caused by extreme amounts of fertilizer. You don't need to use any fertilizer unless the plant shows signs of malnutrition. Â Shade: Some varieties like full sun to bloom but others suffer from too much sun. Not enough sun will prevent flower buds from forming. To much sun can cause sun scorch on the leaves or may trigger lace bug infestation. Â Mulching: Rhododendrons do best when they have about a 2" to 3" layer of mulch to hold in moisture, prevent weeds, and keep the roots cool. Since most mulches are organic, they need to be topped off periodically, usually about every year or two. Do not make the mulch over 3" thick. Keep the mulch about 2" to 3" back from the trunk/stem of the plants to avoid bark split and rodent damage. Rodents will eat the bark, girdling the trunk and kill the plant. Â Protection: In choosing a location to plant rhododendrons and azaleas, protection is very important. Protect from winter winds. This is especially true when the ground is frozen. Also protect from deer. Â Other Cultural Problems: 1) Cultivating rhododendrons and azaleas must be avoided. They have shallow roots and the roots will be severely damaged by cultivating. 2) Weed killer from weed & feed products is a definite problem also. 3) Salt from sidewalks in the winter is a killer to rhododendrons. 4) Soil near masonry such as foundations and walks is usually alkaline (not acidic) and a problem. 5) Lawn fertilizer in the fall can set a rhododendron way back. 6) Another problem is the roots of walnut trees. They emit a chemical that is toxic to rhododendrons, azaleas and many other kinds of plants. Here is a link that might be useful: How to grow...

Update - First, thank you ALL for your suggestions & comments. I certainly learned alot (I always do @ GW!). Anyway, further inspection indicated probably not a massive infestation of spider mites (a honeysuckle on other side of yard had 'em & I'm constantly pulling off webs), but jusst in case I sprayed the heck out of the under-side of the leaves w/the hose sprayer. Also, I fed it some fish emulsion plant food. THEN, a friend of ours who is a garden-specialist type (yes, there's a label, but I forget it - maybe landscape architect? I'm not sure) - was over for dinner tonight & he said ... doesn't look like a pest b/c no brown spots (except a couple leaves - so he compared them for me) ... and it does look like HEAT distress & lack of water. He said the yellow bottom leaves look like normal leaf drop. But, the top, newer growth that looks like "spinach" (my new term for the very puckered mangled look), probably got heat distress during that heat wave and/or just before it. He said that pests can cause that, but given the condition of the bush & how it looks, it was probably just heat & lack of water. Just thought I'd share the info & update in case anyone in the future does & search & is wondering. :) He said it should bloom ok. All the Best, Tree

Thanks for the ideas! Davissue--I think out of those three variables, the tall and airy are the key things. It doesn't have to be wispy, just not super-dense since I want it to partially screen but not block the light. Debbieca--I have lemon verbena in another part of the yard, love the smell. But it has gotten quite gangly and then in the winter looks rather sad with no leaves. Do you cut your s back? Heathen1--that sounds gorgeous, may give it a try elsewhere! Brenda--I've been sorely tempted to try smoke tree, but I've been worried about space limitations. The one planted in front of the nursery nearby is quite large. I almost went with it as a garden focal point but ended up planting witch hazel (with yellow & orange "flowers"), which has been very fun.