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Hydrangea Popular, but Challenging
 Try
to have a discussion about hydrangea among your gardening friends,
and you're likely to start a rather lively debate. What type to
grow, when to prune, why doesn't it flower and how can I change
the flower color from pink to blue are among the most frequently
asked hydrangea questions.
There are many different
species of hydrangea, not to mention cultivars of those species.
So, these questions are a bit difficult to answer, unless you know
which specific plant is being discussed. Most hydrangea do well
in full sun or partial shade. However, they thrive best in cool,
moist soil. So if your site is hot and dry, it would be best to
aim toward afternoon shade.
The hardiest of the hydrangea
species is Panicle Hydrangea, H. paniculata. Despite its
hardiness, it is not the showiest of plants and thus not as popular
as some of the others. Panicle Hydrangea is generally a large shrub
with white flowers in midsummer, changing to a faint purplish-pink
as they age.
Full
Story, http://www.hort.purdue.edu/ext/hydrangea.html
 Ticks,
Mites and Chiggers--Oh My!
What
would the good ol' summertime be without ticks and chiggers? More
pleasant, that's what! Yes, ticks and chiggers are one of the associations
of summer that most of us could do without.
http://www.agriculture.purdue.edu/agcom/newscolumns/archives/OSL
/2002/July/020711OSL.html
Persimmon Problems
The
persimmon is dioecious; that is, each tree produces only either
male or female flowers. This means that both male and female trees
are usually necessary to produce a crop of fruit. The native persimmon
is regularly dioecious, with male trees producing only staminate
flowers and female trees producing only pistillate flowers. Only
in rare instances are trees self-pollinating.
http://www.extension.purdue.edu/gardentips/fruits/persimmons.html
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