Thanks Darcy - we had some serious (115º) heat for a couple of days a few years ago and these hydrangeas almost bought the farm. I still see some of the heat damage left on trees in our neighborhood from that heat dome. I originally moved up here 25 years ago thinking that those types of temps would never happen up here. And then it did.
Thanks Doug - these are amazingly hardy plants up here. This cluster of bushes has been here for the 25 years Nancy and I have lived in this house and I often forget about them until they go into their almost month long bloom in the summer. These blooms are actually several weeks old now.