Quick Fire hydrangea has put the spark back in summer-tired gardens and brought a touch of magic to mixed containers. My comfort zone has once again been challenged by James, my color-design guru son.

The second week of September is when autumn color starts to peek through the summer green, and hydrangeas may be the most spectacular flowering shrub in the landscape. In my own garden I have created ...

* What they are: Lots of compact, new, summer-blooming panicle hydrangeas have hit the market in the past few years. Among the best is Proven Winners’ Fire Light Tidbit variety. Although plants stay a ...