Thank you very much, Finegarden, for responding to my ?? - even if Vancouver, BC is a very Hydrangea-friendly place compared to ours (challenging Winters and hot & humid Summers) nevertheless, your experiences with your QF give us hope and inspiration!,<:->Hi Lilgreenfrog, although we both are in similar z# your elevation and our relatively flat midwest may make real difference as far as sun exposure is concerned, perhaps some experts will clear your ?? But one thing certain is patience and following advice from more experienced afficionados pays off. My 17y/o Nikko has rewarded me this year with many and huge blooms and to this day, I still find new buds that have just formed while the earliest clusters are now turning to her mature, sagey-green, color - thanks to Hayseedman's Overwintering thread & Maria' s (from Ottawa) flat cardboard method. Too much sun exposure is another question ... I resorted to sheltering Nikko with an arbor and a fast climbing SA clematis when she lost her source of shade. QF will not need such extensive protection thank heavens, hopefully someone will anwer your question ... I'm interested to know too. Hang in there & Good luck!

I moved them in a late fall and in an early spring and found no difference. I'd do it in a fall for two reasons: - in a spring you have to walk on a somewhat wet grounds and will compact the soil, - in a fall you clearly see where something is/was growing and not step on it while in a spring you don't have those 'markers' (if you clean your beds in a fall).

Yes, it seems to be absent in many places. I lost one 2-3 years ago and was looking forward to getting a new one from the same place (locally) but they did not 'get' it or did not order it last year and this year. This time of the year (June-July), I would expect to see the paniculatas for sale and, while they brought VS, there was no LQ. :o(

I would choose Quickfire if you can be a bit flexible about the height, though I guess it depends if you want your fence visible above the shrubs or not. Mine is 6' or 7' tall with no pruning ever, and hasn't gotten taller in about 3 years, though it grew quite quickly for its first several seasons. I don't grow Little QF, but in the photos I've seen the branches aren't quite as strong and the blossoms aren't held quite as upright. Perhaps someone with some actual experience can comment. My Quickfire grows in all day sun and doesn't get any watering until we go 3 or 4 weeks without rain, but you are a couple of zones warmer than I am as well as drier, so you will want to be sure to give them enough water. If not, the blossoms will turn brown more quickly.