Purple is hard color to obtain with hydrangeas. It is a color that you get in a narrow pH band between acidic and alkaline soil. It helps if your shrub resists turning blue. To get the same results as the one in that garden, your soil needs to have the soil pH and grow the same shrub. You can ask the owner for the name of that hydrangea and also ask for cuttings; and -if the person knows- get the soil pH level there. Then determine what your soil pH is and make it more acidic with aluminum sulfate or garden Sulphur; or use garden lime to make your soil more alkaline. Then periodically measure your soil pH to monitor the soil pH as it gets closer and closer to the goal.

Helpmefind.com/roses is an excellent place to research roses. See the link below for potential vendors. Here is a link that might be useful: Potential vendors of Prominent

Thanks! Yes, it seems to be a lovely CM. I'm excited because it will grow up to 50 feet tall. I have the perfect spot for them with lots of room. It is a bit pricey. Probably because it is scarce at the moment. I expect they will go down in price over the next few years as more people grow them. I'd found one place that sells seedlings 10 for $60.00. I don't really need 10 though. Verdant

LECA stands for Lightweight Expanded Clay Aggregate. It is clay fired at a fairly high temperature, and is known by a variety of names....Hydro-ton and Primeagra being two you hear frequently on the Orchid forum. LECA is available from hydroponics stores as it is a major media for growing hydroponicly (if that is a word). It is also used in traditional mixes to "lighten" it and provide better drainage. It may be sterilized by heating or rinsing with Physan or other sterilzing agents...just rinse the heck out of it before reusing.