Hydrangea - Pia
Pia Bigleaf Hydrangea, Hydrangea macrophylla 'Pia', is one of the smallest of the hydrangeas, making it excellent for the smaller garden. A It is a profuse bloomer bearing 3-4" wide, rich dark-pink flowers in mid to late summer and has a red tint to the foliage in fall. It tolerates full sun only if grown with consistently moist soils. Soil pH generally affects the flower color of species plants, namely, blue in highly acidic soils and lilac to pink (occasionally red) in slightly acidic to alkaline soils. Add aluminum sulfate to the soil to make the flowers bluer or add lime to the soil to make the flowers pinker (begin soil treatments well in advance of flowering, as in late autumn or early spring). Pia Bigleaf is a deciduous shrub with a rounded habit that grows to 2 to 3 feet in height and width. Crown hardy in zone 5 and best planted in group or mass in a sheltered location in the shrub border. ... additional information
Rose of Sharon-Jeanne DArc The Jeanne D'Arc Rose of Sharon, Hibiscus syriacus Jeanne D'Arc, is an upright, deciduous shrub that is vigorous, erect, multi-stemmed shrub that typically grows 8-12' tall. This shrub may also be trained as a single trunk tree or espalier. 'Jeanne D'Arc' bears double white flowers from late summer until mid-fall. This plant really requires no pruning, unless you need to remove a dead or damaged branch. Long, early-summer to fall bloom period. This cultivar is a sterile triploid that produces very few if any seed pods. Excellent flowering shrub that may be massed, planted in groups or used as a specimen. Very tolerant of summer heat and humidity. Larger flowers may be obtained by pruning back hard to 2-3 buds in early spring. Otherwise, prune to shape.
