Hi! Here is my Masja, a very little plant with one flower.........

and here is Masja from the Heritage Display Garden on Cape Cod.......

Looks like Masja can be any color you want her to be, beautiful!! Go for it!!

Forgot to answer your questions, yes it is hardy for me in 6b and it only blooms on old wood.

Thanks Donna. I'm thinking about ordering - here is his "pitch"

You are buying very nice mature Masja hydrangea, that has a full root systems. Plants are shipped in plastic containers with soil, because the hydrangea's transplant better this way, instead of bareroot! We have fertilized with a 9 month time released fertilize.

These bushes will grow a couple of feet per year!

This Unique color of Purple/Blue HYDRANGEA is a big leaf shrub, to 4 feet in height, with beautiful 6-10 inch globe shaped clusters of DEEP PURPLE/BLUE mophead flowers! Shrub blooms in the summer, hardy to minus 10 degrees and grows very fast. This is a vigorous grower to about 4 ft tall. Winning bidders will receive (2) Plants that are an average of 8-12" in height, with a strong root system. We cut them back many times to get them to bush out more!

PLANTS AVAILABLE FOR IMMEDIATE SHIPMENT! NOW IS A GREAT TIME TO PLANT!

I'm a bit concerned about the shipping in such hot weather. I sent him an email and he said he ships USPS priority so will arrive in 2-3 days and that he packages very carefully so the plants survive. He has some great positive feedback. I think I'm going to try it. I'll let you know how it turns out.

Give it a try, I buy amaryllis bulbs frequently on eBay, some good experiences, some not so good. Packing from a reputable dealer usually isn't a problem. They are probably rooted cuttings which is fine and that's why you're getting 2 of them. Together, they'll make a nice plant. Just make sure however when they are delivered to you that they aren't put out in the hot sun for several hours while you're at work or whatever. Good Luck and take pictures of how they are packed and how they look and post them. If you've read his feedback and it's positive, what do you have to loose, it only money!! Later this afternoon when I have the time, I'll take a look at them on eBay now I'm curious..........

So I purchased the two plants @ $7.95 plus $7.95 for shipping and handling. I've sent the seller an email asking for him to let me know when they are shipped and when I can expect them so they are not sitting out in the hot sun. I'll leave work and go and take them inside.
After the purchase I started reading more of his feedback, although the majority is good he does have some negative feedback and a couple of them where about his hydrangeas (other types). I hope I didn't make a mistake - but like you said, it's only money! : )

It's worthy a try, I did look at his offerings but didn't read the feedback. I wonder if his Masja is as big as that multicolored one? He can take 100 cutting off that one easily, as you go all the way down the stem and can get 6-8 or more cuttings per stem. And, every branch he takes out 2 relpace it! A plant that size is a cash cow! He must use something other than fish tanks from the dump........

Donna

Yeah it looks like he is doing well. I'm hoping this one stays purple. I guess I need to amend the soil. I keep seeing all this great ones on EBAY and need to stop looking because I'll end up buying each one. LOL.

For my side bed, I'm hoping to find plants that are at least 5 gallons. I can't find anyone online who sells them - do you know of any?

For myself, I would never even consider buying such large plants online. Take a day and scour all the nurseries in your area hopefully you have several, up here, we have many great places to look. Good luck with your hunt, earlier this spring, you may have better luck. It may be a bit late and all they have left is stressed plants. Don't be opposed to the idea of waiting until next spring when the nurseries are freshly stalked with plants. Maybe you can get your beds ready and your crepe myrtles planted and who knows, maybe some nurseries will get some fresh stalk in later in the season as your growing season down there must be a few months longer than ours. Have fun......

Thanks for the great advice. I've been thinking about waiting until early spring hoping the nurseries will be fully stocked. We have a few places that carry them. I also wonder if they can order some for me.

Thanks again!

The problem with shipping is that the belly of some airplanes is not air conditioned. Trucks also need to be air conditioned. If the airplane goes through a city where the temps are hot, the cargo can cook. Chamblee Roses in Tyler,TX -for example- stops shipping roses because the plants will not arrive in good shape. This is particularly important for plants shipped bare root and some hydrangeas are shipped bare root. It is therefore important to rehydrate the plant when you get it -assuming moisture is low- and to prune off any dead roots or stems. It also helps to have the planting site ready so you can plant it soon.

go to www.hydrangeashydrangeas.com/colorchange.html for much information on color change etc of hydrangeas.

Thanks Luis - I'm hoping the packaging is good enough that it protects it from the heat. I was very curious on how he packages and ships in the heat. This is what I asked him -
Can you please tell me more about the plants. What size are they? How do you package them. Is it safe for them to be mailed to Texas when it is so hot?

and his response -
they are about 8-12 inches tall and we pack very carefully. we ship to TX a lot.

So I'm hoping all will be fine. I asked him to send me an email once they have been shipped and nothing to date.

I guess it's the wait and see game.

Thanks again.

Mike, Usually eBay sends you an automatic notice on your email of when your package has been shipped since the whole transaction goes through eBay. If you haven't heard, they probably haven't shipped yet. Some dealers wait until the first of the week so the package won't sit in transit or the postal truck over the weekend. And, they usually send you a tracking No. so you can track your package if you wish. And, if you didn't use pay-pal and sent a check, they would wait until the check cleared. Sometimes it does take longer than you think it should and other times they're much faster, depends on the vendor. Possibly, he may still be growing the cuttings and waiting for the roots to be a better length for shipping........hope you're happy with them when they come!

Thanks Donna. Yeah, I already paid for it via paypal and got the receipt for payment. Nothing on the shipping but I did check on shipping via ebay and it states arrival date should be August 2 or 3rd. So I'll wait till then to see what happens.

I saw the same listing and ordered them after seeing the gorgeous photos here (also in Texas). Curious about how yours arrived, msalcido. Any updates or photos? (the first pic in this thread is just drop-dead gorgeous!!)

Hi Ivysmom,
First I hope you have way better luck than I did. Jon (the seller) never would respond to my emails. Needless to say he sent them and didn't advise when he was sending so they arrived while I was at work and they sat in 105 degree heat all day. Very dried out, I watered and planted in the hopes they would survive. They didn't. I sent him an email advising of this and he replied that it was my fault for letting them sit out in the heat. I had no idea when they would arrive because he did not respond to my emails.
Very very poor customer service.

I hope you have a better outcome. Let me know how it goes.

Yikes! I haven't heard back from him about shipping info (though I have also emailed/messaged as well). Fortunately, there's someone home most of the day so they'd be outside for not too long. Did you leave some feedback on his ebay listings/store about that? Seems to be a pattern here, and others would benefit from knowing about it.

Sorry to hear your plants didn't survive the trip and baking :(

Thanks. I did leave the feedback on his site. Ebay refunded my money and said that neither one was at fault.

I was really disappointed because I would have ordered from him again, he has some nice selections. His customer service is just horrible.

Well, if mine survive well enough, perhaps I can send some cuttings to you next year :) (I'm down in Houston.)

Thanks Ivysmom that's very kind of you.

Please keep in touch and let me know how they arrive. I hope yours survives, it is such a beautiful plant.

msalcido: just thought I'd give you an update and show you a photo. The masjas arrived today -- they look a little road-weary, but are otherwise OK, thank goodness! The survived the USPS, now let's hope they can survive me! Hah.

Here is a link that might be useful: 8 little masjas

Very nice! Keep me updated on how they do!

So, what happened ivysmom and msalcido?