Name the Shrub !

[Dazed_Lily]

This shrub has kinda grown on me ! :rolleyes: BUT, it is in the way of progress, i.e, it is about 6 feet tall and in the front of the bed. I am wavering over what to do as I really like it. Sometimes the new leaves are reddish; I don't know why these ones aren't. I also like the delicateness of the leaves. So, if I know what it is I can figure out if its roots reach to China and if I could have a chance of moving it OR propagating it OR if it's really something special leaving it alone !
Any ideas on what it is ?

[Rebecca]

I think it's a "peris", but need to look it up, so I'll be back!


You know, it would help if I could spell!

Pieris, probably sc. japonica, is my guess.

Pieris japonica I (http://hcs.osu.edu/pocketgardener/source/description/pi_onica.html)

Pieris japonica II (http://www.humeseeds.com/efpieris.htm)


Check these links out and see if your shrub and these are the same. I did catch one blip that said they were difficult to transplant, so you might want to search againg if this is the Pieris.


Rebecca

[Dazed_Lily]

Rebecca- You are simply Awesome ! I am 95% certain that that is what I have. Now here is the very weird part. As I would look at the shrub and take in its delicateness--the slightly weeping swirls of sleek well-defined leaf edges and the floating 'chains'--one of the words that would pass through my mind was 'Japanese'. I kid you not ! Is that weird or what. Maybe I could be the shrub whisperer. Only problem is that I can't hear the whole name. LOL! :D
Based on what I am reading, I think I am going to have to find a way to incorporate it. First off--the soil has got to be wet there and yet amazingly it is growing. It must just have enough shade from the nearby Cherry tree to keep it from full sun--an amazing feat in Oz. I also saw 15-18 inch ones selling for 30-45 dollars and I don't think they are easy to find.
Maybe I can prune it down in size. I am going to end up with daylilies behind it. But nothing says all daylilies have to be visible straight on.
Thanks so much !!!!!!!!!! :)

[Rebecca]

Cathy,

Having worked at Wally World did help me a little bit and all those breaks taken in the garden are were worthwhile after all. Plus I had one, but it didn't make it through the winter. Probably had it in the wrong place and didn't know any better. That was 11 years ago and I never tried another one. They are so beautiful when in bloom and very interesting to look at when not in bloom, and unusual combination for a flowering shrub.

Rebecca

[Dazed_Lily]

Ooh, you lost yours, now I must take care of it since it seems very happy where it is.
I just ran across this on the internet and was just so tickled by it. In regards to my wish that it was smaller, I guess it's too late for this option::D
http://www.bonsaiboy.com/catalog/product1602.html

[Rebecca]

Doesn't mean you can't root some cuttings and start your own from scratch. Besides, it only take a decade or so to get them to look that way! Still $50 for a 12 yr old Bonsi is pretty good for the type of plant and the size!

Just think what lovely gifts they'd make. :p


Rebecca

[sue salley]

Cathy, The leaves look large for a pieris. Let us see the blooms in the spring. It is a beautiful shrub. The plain green one I think is prettier than the newer variegated one. They grow slowly so the one you have is pretty old.

[Dazed_Lily]

Will do. It is currently enjoying protected species status in my garden !