Royal Purple Lilac Flowering Shrub - Highly fragrant, large colorful blossoms, grows to fit available space. (2 years old, 2-3 foot shrub.)

It depends on when it blooms. Prune spring bloomers, like lilac, weigela and viburnum, right after the flowers fade, because they set next year's buds soon after. Prune summer bloomers, like potentilla, spirea, rose of Sharon, bluebeard and Russian sage, in late winter or early spring, before new growth starts. Panicle hydrangeas get a late-winter trim, and bigleaf hydrangeas only a light one right after flowering.

A late start is common. Recently planted shrubs often leaf out later than established ones, and rose of Sharon, bluebeard and smokebush are naturally late every spring. To check, scratch a small twig with your thumbnail: green, moist tissue underneath means that part is alive. Give it time before you dig it out.

This page lists the size for this plant. Plan for its full spread, not the size of the pot.

Drooping on a hot afternoon is common, even in moist soil, especially for bigleaf types in full sun. Check the soil at the root ball. If it's damp and the plant perks up overnight, that's heat, and it doesn't need more water. If the soil is dry, water deeply. A spot with morning sun and afternoon shade helps.

On bigleaf hydrangeas, yes. Soil pH sets the color. Acidic soil, about pH 5.0 to 5.5, keeps the flowers blue, and soil closer to neutral, around 6.0 or higher, tends toward pink. Test your soil first: sulfur lowers pH and lime raises it, and the change can take a year.

They can be. Japanese barberry and burning bush can spread from gardens into natural areas, and some states restrict them. Pennsylvania, for example, added Japanese barberry to its Noxious Weed List in 2022. Before you plant, check with your state's department of agriculture.

It's the size of the nursery pot the plant ships in, not the plant's height. A 1-gallon plant ships in a 1-gallon pot. The plant itself varies by variety and by season.

A few days in a dark box is stressful for a leafy plant, and some yellow or dropped leaves are common. Water it if the soil is dry, give it a few days in bright shade, then move it into more sun over a week or two. New leaves usually follow. If it looks damaged or unhealthy beyond a few leaves, contact us that day with photos.

Plant when the ground isn't frozen, and not during a heat wave. Loosen any roots circling the root ball, and set the top of the root ball level with the ground or slightly above it. Water it in well.

Check the soil every few days for the first few months. A new plant's root ball dries out faster than the ground around it, so feel the soil at the root ball itself, not only the surface. Water when it's dry, and let it drain.