Deb,

I have a fairly large Grayswood Hydrangea living a happy life in a 16" (inside diameter) container. The plant is close to four years old. Grayswood is a very pretty blue lacecap also. It is getting large enough that I plan to put it into a larger container this fall, one with 18-20" ID.

I use Al's recipe for container potting mix. I keep a batch of Al's mix ready for use with the container plants I have. It works great. In summer, I place the hydrangea in a light shade garden because it needs protection from the hot sun in our area. In winter, I move the pot to a location protecting it from the wind, but in full sun and water it weekly. With Al's mix and a properly draining container, it's almost impossible to over water. Around March, when new growth starts, I add a little slow release fertilizer. Then in June when it starts blooming, I fertilize again. That's it.

Georgia weather is of course very different from your area, but thought I would let you know my lacecap hydrangea is happy in a container. Hope this helps in some way.

Here is a link that might be useful: Link to thread on Al's Container Mix

I think you will have marginal success in zone5.

opal thank you for that information. I've been using Al's mix this summer and have had great success. As you said, our weather differences are significant, though, so I'd certainly need more protection than you need to provide but thank you for the outline you use.

crunchpa that's what I suspected but hoped otherwise. My best bet, I guess is to get it moved into better light conditions soon and then fence the heck out of it for the winter - those pesky deer keep me busy!