First, these are NOT pictures of mine, but rather pics I found via Google...
Anybody growing any Dichroa febrifuga? It is a member of the Hydrangea family and is known as an "evergreen blue hydrangea" and comes from the mountains of southeast Asia. I've had one for over a year now and it still shows no sign of blooming.
It's supposed to be hardy through zone 9, but that hasn't been my experience. I had only a few light frosts here last winter and one morning where it briefly hit -2C, but quickly rebounded. That was enough to defoliate at least half the plant and many upper twigs died also. My bush is about 18 inches wide by 2 feet tall at the moment. It has only just now recovered it's original size before being frosted. Maybe I'm expecting too much as the plant is not very big.
I'll probably give it another year and see what it does... I was curious to what, if any experiences people have had with these.