I have a large privet hedge dividing my property from the one next door. Last year the hedge was doing horribly -- dropping leaves like crazy. My arborist has been spraying it for whatever bug has been causing the problem, and he did a reduction a year ago of some of the old stems. So far this spring we have had a lot of rain, and now the thing is going nuts. I am finally getting some growth at the bottom, but this growth is getting "leggy" and flopping over, and the top flops over when it rains. Should I prune it? If so, how extensively, and when? And should I be careful of anything? I'm willing to manually prune instead of using a hedge trimmer if it's better for the plant.

My wife received a hydranga from one of her students this week. It is in a small indoor pot. I know they need shade. How much and where do they like to grow. Would a larger outdoor pot do well or can I plant them in the ground? I live in huntington beach california so freezing is not really an issue. Thanks for the help in advance.