After seeing Roper's Harlequin Glory Bower tree I was tempted to get one, even with the sucker issue, but recently read somewhere else that it needs afternoon shade so I think that's off the list. Right now I have the Sikes, Salvia coccinea (thanks to Pfmastin's pic with the hummer), and White Bomb chrysanthemum. I'm going to order for spring delivery. Don't want to move the abutilon until then. We'll start getting winter hummers in another month or two and that always puts on a big flower feast through the winter months. I'm still going to look locally, but if I can't find a dwarf oakleaf here I'll probably order from Lazy S's.

'Little Honey' is not nearly as robust as the larger, straight green forms of H. quercifolia, so site accordingly :-) It can also scorch if exposed to hot summer sun in the afternoon, so I'd provide at least partial shade. I pair mine with plants that have a burgundy or purplish hue - purple leaved forms of wood spurge, Euphorbia amygdaloides or xmartinii, a purple leaved daphne (D. houtteana), heucheras and an iris hybrid that forms maroon flower buds that open to yellow. And Japanese forest grass, Hakonechloa macra 'Aureola'. I like the contrast of the gold foliage against the purple and the fall color of the hydrangea picks up those same burgundy tones (as does the grass). Not all of these will be hardy for you in zone 5 but you get the idea and I'm sure you can find some zonal appropriate alternatives.

I have a considerable amount of hydrangea paniculata seed I could send you. You can e-mail me from this site by clicking on my name.

ainhoa, you should search and read discussions on this board about LH and then decide for yourself if you want to let "process of falling in love" to go any further. Just one man opinion who is probably in the whole zone warmer climate than you are: this plant is worth all the troubles. IMO it's not a plant you grow for the blooms (which are nice, but nothing special in comparison to regular oakleaves), but rather plant you grow for its fantastic (triple exclamation!!!) foliage from the mid-spring to the late fall. Here is my side of the story: bought the first one in fall of 2005 as a 6" plant in a 1G pot. I planted it and it didn't make it thru the winter. Second one (the same 6" stick in 1G) was bought in a fall of 2006. This time I immediately replanted it from original 1G pot into 3G and overwintered in coldframe(garage). It went into ground early spring of 2007. It didn't produced too much effect during that season, but by the fall nevertheless become a respectable 18x18" shrublet. It spent most of the winter 2007/8 being covered by upsidedown large 15G nursery pot and overwintered perfectly, though it was a relatively warm winter. By the end of the 2008 season it was in 30x30+" range. I wasn't able to find a large enough pot to cover plant of such size and 'as is' it went into the winter of 2008/9/ which as you know was one of the harshes winters in a long time. Low and behold, it's over 4' in all dimensions right now and as of today opened its first two flowers :-))) But there is more to the story. Being encouraged by success with #2, in a fall of 2008 I bought #3 and overwintered it the same way as #2. It woke up in spring as a very healthy plant, was planted in identical conditions as #2, started good, but...in June it began showing different signs of decline and I dug it out and planted back in fresh potting medium in a 3G pot where she currently resides. It's in recovery and I'd say it is not anymore in a danger of death, but right now it's a sorrow looking plant nevertheless. My own experience somewhat confirms the words I've heard from the propagators and growers here in Northeast, ' This plant is never going to be in a mainstream here in NE due to unease of propagation and high mortality rate in a young age'. Still, if you are not affraid of the challenges...and lucky...go for it. P.S. I have knowledge of one plant in 5b (NE CT) which is about 5' after 6 years.