An interesting way to spark a riveting conversation is to debate. Simply choose a topic and have one person argue for it and another to argue against it.  Remind yourself and your companions that the debate is just a game. A fun debate can quickly turn into a heated argument that might create discomfort between everyone in the car. Choose funny and light-hearted topics. Avoid heavy or complex topics to keep everyone in good spirits. Instead of arguing about morals or religious beliefs, debate about whether strawberries are the best kind of berry or whether squirrels are cute or just plain annoying. There are many word games that can be competitively fun and entertaining, in situations where you're driving alone or with others:  Have a spelling bee. Name all the countries of the world. Name all the states or provinces or a country. Think of words that rhyme with each other as fast as you can. Whoever stops the pace, loses. Say one word at a time. Have each person say one word to create a sentence or story. You might come up with some hilarious examples. Read aloud a book or play and have everyone in the car act out a role or multiple roles. The driver should not participate in this game. If you're driving with others, get to know one another. Ask each other questions or play a variety of games:  Play two truths and a lie. Have one person tell two truths and a lie. The others must guess which statements are truths and which one is a lie. Play Never Have I Ever. Each person will keep track of their own points, or hold up 10 fingers, or even be prepared to drink or eat something every time someone says something they have never done, but has actually done the activity. For example, Sally will say, "Never have I ever danced on stage." If Bob has danced on stage before, he will lose a point or have to eat or drink something to show that he has indeed done that activity. Play truth or dare. However, be careful when designing the dares, ensuring that they can be safely done inside or outside the car. See how many things you can see during your car ride. You can try counting:  Certain colours of cars. People walking on the road. Birds. Animals. Certain chain stores or buildings. License plates of cars from your area or your destination.

Summary: Have a debate with your car companions. Play word games. Enact a dramatic performance or play. Get to know one another. Count things.


The ideal height for this shrub is between 6 and 10 feet, because this height allows it to be full, lush, and compact.  Always use sharp hand pruners when pruning this shrub. Even if it is grown as a hedge, hedge shears should not be used. They tend to shred the leaves. Find a growth bud on the stem that is located at a height of 6 feet (1.8 m) or less. If it has not reached its mature height yet, the stem can be cut down to about two-thirds its current height. Make the cut at an angle just above the growth bud. While Tardiva is a young shrub, it does not need to be cut back drastically to reduce its height.  A light pruning is all that is necessary. It will keep the shrub more compact and encourage additional new stem growth which means more beautiful hydrangea flowers. Make the cuts at an angle above a growth bud with sharp pruners, but find a growth bud that is not very far down on the stem. Older Tardiva hydrangeas sometimes need serious pruning to help them look their best.  This type of pruning is called rejuvenation pruning because it does, in a sense, rejuvenate an old bush. Cut one-third of the oldest stems right off at the base in winter or early spring each year for three consecutive years. The height of the remaining stems can be reduced by one-third each year as well to help reduce the overall size of the shrub. In the fourth year, most of the stems will be new and the shrub will be full-looking. Dead branches should be removed completely and immediately, as soon as the dead branch is noticed.  This can be done at any time of year. When doing your annual pruning in the winter or early spring, cut out any branches that are growing at odd angles and crossing other branches. These branches can rub against other branches, causing wounds that open the shrub up to disease and boring insects.
Summary: Maintain a height of 6 to 10 feet (1.8 to 3.0 m) to achieve ideal growth. Refrain from excessively pruning young shrubs to maintain a compact shrub. Prune older hydrangeas to rejuvenate them. Remove dead or odd-growing branches to tidy up your shrub.