Thank you so much ... if you did indeed, wished me luck! I'm still *tickled pink* ... literally ... I came home with both!!! Â;) I've only prep'd for one last Fall, but couldn't pass up "Tickled Pink" as they only unloaded 3 of them & 4 VS (both just #2 pots but fully leafed out)! I have just enlarged my 'Sunny Long Island' bed last Fall by 2' all around ... I may just dig up some perennials & stick TP in there!!! I'll take my time, perhaps move her to a larger pot for now! Prime real estate is running low w/o digging up old favs! Â;( Thanks again!

You can try those two hydrangeas in full sun but, in full sun in the summer, be ready to provide much more water in the summer months. With afternoon shade in the summer, you will probably end up using less water. http://gardeningcarolina.com/shrubs/hydrangea.html From Gardening Carolina's Master Gardener Volunteers: Hydrangea arborescens and paniculata can grow well in full sun and may become leggy if grown in dense shade. However, both use large quantities of water when grown in full sun and should not be allowed to wilt. As a result, some growers produce these plants in light shade or in areas where plants will receive natural afternoon shade.

You are definitely doing all things right but, as gardengal48 pointed out, high temperatures can make the shrubs go from white directly to brown. You could try to wait about 3 years to see how it does as it gradually becomes established and as its root system gets larger and is capable of absorbing more and more water as needed. It is common in my neck of the woods to see VS and Fire & Ice blooms turning from white to brown even at the plant nurseries where they water a lot more than I would do. But that is what happens when temps are in the 100s daily from July thru September. Makes me mad because I do not get to see the famous magenta blooms of VS. Like I said, you can always wait for VS to adjust to summers in your area but, if waiting does not produce good results, you could try to delay blooming by letting the plant leaf out and then pruning the stems a few weeks weeks before the flower buds normally open in your area. In such a scenario, you should get leaf out again later on, then more growth and blooms... later than normal... hopefully after the worst of the summer is over. I have not tried this approach myself but others in the forum say it worked for them so if waiting does not improve things, give it a shot. It may not work in areas like mine where the hot season is extremely lengthy. And you have to time pruning such that you do it before the flower buds open (too late to prune then). Or, you could replace VS with an early flowering shrub like Quickfire. Luis PS - By the way, you do not display your location or USDA Zone. Just where are you?

I agree. Too much heat stress and-or water issues make it go from white directly to green then green-pink and then brown. In some cases, it can do from white to brown too. I saw it go from white to brown last year after a month of daily 100s. But I do not mean to put the blame of VS itself. Other paniculatas like Limelight will also go from white to brown under those conditions.