Thanks hokierustywilliamsbu. It's good to know that people south of me are just starting to see the real thing. No, Luis, shame on me, I have no pics. I just got done washing my dogs (2 goldens), so I'm too exhausted to go out to take some now of my VS. or peppermint. The peppermint is pretty when it's fresh but turns not the nicest brown, so I cut them off. But then, they rebloom. Maybe later ot tomorrow.

Totoro, thanks for the idea of the Hinoki cypress. We really need some big substantial evergreens in the front yard so that during the Winter there is something to look at not just dead rose sticks. Lol This is what I love about this forum you see and hear ideas that you never would have known about or considered.

RoundUp is quite a bit more than just "grass killer".....otherwise it would have no effect on any non-grass plant, like your hydrangea :-) But it takes a lot of the stuff to kill off a woody plant like a hydrangea shrub. It can certainly affect the foliage, causing it to dry, deform and drop off, but it is unlikely to have any permanent effect. I'd just leave it alone for now and see how it responds in spring. It is very possible you will not notice any ill-effect but any deadwood can be pruned out then. It won't hurt to flush the planting area well with plenty of water. That will dissipate any of the herbicide that might remain present in the soil.

When it comes to the Hydrangea paniculata, don't over complicate things by worrying about pruning. With all the breeding work that has been done in the last decade or two pick the variety that fits the space and assume everything will get a little bigger than the tag says. These are really no brainer plants. These are my observations with many varieties in my location (MN). If the spent flowers bother you, prune them off late fall through early spring. Get out the shears and do it. No need to fuss with hand pruners and each individual flower. Otherwise the plant will grow over them. Also, it seems like the the more lace cap type flowers tend to break off over the winter. Pruning them back will not significantly reduce their size in a given season once established. I've seen hard pruned plants grow taller than the unpruned specimen of the same variety. Right plant, right place. Hard pruning seems to create a later and more uneven bloom cycle on the plant. I prefer the plant blooming consistently around the whole plant so don't prune or just lightly. I haven't seen a consistent result of pruning and flop prevention. I think age structure are more important. Certain varieties with big, full flowers are more prone to flop with the right weather event. And with some of the new breeding in Hydrangea arborescens those of us in cold zones that don't want to deal with Hydrangea macrophylla even variation in sizes, colors, shapes and timing. Just no blues.