I'm not sure exactly where you live so not sure whether you can answer my question. How do your hydrangeas get on in your climate - we are in a semi desert type climate - very hot in summer and several days freezing overnight. Is a hydrangea sturdy enough to cope with those extremes?
Your story also reminded me of something that happened to our friends when I was very young. The dad was Irish so he, DW and young daughter went over to visit family at one stage (this would have been in the 60s or early 70s so a visit from NZ to Ireland was a very special event). They had a flourishing couple of hydrangeas at home and, when they got to Ireland the family they were staying with proudly showed them their very precious hydrangea - daughter quickly deflated them when she helpfully advised that they had lots of these plants and they were growing like weeds. Very embarrassing for her mum and dad!
Marina I live in Warragul in Gippsland, about an hour and a half from the centre of Melbourne. Hydrangeas grow quite well here as long as long as they get a bit of protection from the hot sun and they get a little bit of water in the summer and they don't mind the cold weather. Soil with low PH produces blue flowers and high PH produces pink flowers. The one DH cut back was about 7 feet tall. I don't give them any special treatment although some people like to change the PH level to produce different colours.
