Hydrangea. Trying its best to stay alive.

My neighbor, a great neighbor and a great human being, has a different gardening attitude than I. That's OK. That's just fine. I don't lecture, I don't criticize (other than in my head), I don't judge. Sometimes I benefit. Last year, she bought tons of plants to put in the tiny little rectangular strip in front of her house. Among the plants were three hydrangeas. I love these plants but so do the deer. My neighbor, while aware of the deer, doesn't try to keep them at bay. So of course the deer feasted on her three small hydrangeas. In the fall Ms. Neighbor dug up the shrub remains to throw them away. Yes, that's her general gardening strategy: buy new stuff each year, be grateful for what lives through the summer, but in the fall dig it all up, throw it away (!!), and start fresh each spring. Last fall I was in the right place at the right time so I inherited her hydrangea stubs. She was a little surprised that I wanted them. I planted them in my back yard, which is surrounded by deer fencing. And Look! They are beginning to show signs of life!