I have several H.q.'Sikes Dwarf' or 'Sykes Dwarf' that I purchased from a reputable propagation nursery a few years ago. Unless I check the label on each plant, am unable to distinguish them from some other cultivars of Oakleaf's, as they are about the same height, 5-6 ft. As luis mentioned, growing season, soil, light, etc. may effect the ultimate height and size of the "Dwarfs". Have had no experience with H.q.'PeeWee" and have never observed them growing in my area. In this area, Oakleaf's perform best when planted in full sun or several(6+) hours of afternoon sun exposure. Soil drainage is very important. I have heavy clay, which retains moisture, so I try to plant them on a slope or a mound of soil and mulch is only provided during extended periods of drought. They also appreciate an annual application of Dolomitic Lime if the soil is very acidic. They do best in Circumneutral (pH7.0) to slightly alkaline soil. In the absence of rainfall, water weekly for the first couple of years, until the roots become established, after that, they are fairly drought tolerant. My old, established plants needed watering only twice during a severe drought last year and that included one period of 7 consecutive weeks in early summer, when not a drop of rain fell. Rb

Down here the leaves would fry when summer temperatures arrive but you are so far up north that they may do well. I would do a safety check and see what local nurseries say if you ask them. You can also visit local gardens to see where all of their oakleafs are located (sun-wise). Oakleafs tolerate more sun than macrophyllas do. North Branch Nursery in 3359 Kesson Road, Pemberville, Ohio, Ph 419-287-4679, sells hydrangeas and may be able to tell you. Another that I found online is Dayton Nurseries in 3459 Cleveland-Massillon Road, Norton, Ohio, Ph 330-825-3320; 1-866-500-6605.

Thanks Luis. I wasn't clear in my earlier posts. The pea gravel was a somewhat failed attempt at xeroscaping my north facing somewhat shady side yard. It was in reaction to overgrown jasmine that had invaded from my neighbor's yard. That "before" picture was after I had already trimmed several feet of it away. When I bought the house the vines had actually grown into the AC units! You couldn't even walk back there. So I ripped it all out and xeroscaped. It looks much cleaner, but also looks sterile. The stones are also hard to walk on and it's very difficult to get my lawn mower back there. So, we're redoing it again. This time we're going to rake back the pea gravel, lay a flag stone path around the side, then put pea gravel in between the stones. I have a new project elsewhere for the extra leftover pea gravel. It's much easier to walk on the path in the backyard with the flagstones in place. Then while we're doing this I'm going to put in a raised bed planter on the right side of picture one, about 4 or 5 feet wide. I'm definitely leaving planty of room to access the heat pumps. I'm going to raise this bed up at least 6" and fill it with locally made potting soil. The perimeter of the raised bed will be made with matching flagstones so it will look something like this picture from the web (not my house and I didn't take this picture). I wasn't planning on using pea gravel for the "mulch". It gets so hot here it would literally cook the roots. I tend to like pine straw for my mulch. Not as long lived as pine bark, but I like the look and I have been told that it doesn't attract termites. It's also easy to remove when it breaks down and replace with new. Acidifies the soil too which is important here, because my stucco concrete block house releases alkaline material into the dirt. I need to do this twice a year, but it's cost prohibitive, so I only do it once a year. It takes over 300 bales to do my yard! I'm worried that they may not get enough light in this location. Does anyone have any opinions on this? Can I really get by with just 3 Munchkins for 17' of bed? My wallet will thank me if this is so. How many years will it take for them to fill in this space? Thanks again everyone!

Hyped & Marie- Mahoney's still has a decent amount of Bobos left- I bought two but am rethinking that perhaps I should get one more while I can. What is your suggested spacing- I know it says 4' but is that two far? Many thanks