Happy birthday Mab. Hope your recovery is progressing well.
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!