* What it is: Russian sage is an excellent, heat- and drought-tough, deer-resistant, long-blooming perennial with silvery-gray leaves and purple flower spikes. Its main shortcoming is that it's not ...

Prune hydrangeas to prevent overgrowth, floppiness, or fewer blooms. Thin bigleaf hydrangeas in summer or early fall to encourage stronger growth. Cut smooth hydrangeas in late winter for compact ...