PlantFiles: Oakleaf Hydrangea
Hydrangea quercifolia

This is my favorite hydrangea. It's by far the best looking and so trouble-free. One prob--I live in Newton, MA and it can be kind of a wind tunnel. Oakleaf hydrangeas do seem to get a bit annoyed by blasting winter winds. I have all of mine in protected areas now.

It grows and blooms beautifully in zone 5a even in full sun (the southeast side of my yard) IF you keep it watered. I also wrap my quite large ones in burlap and use string to keep it in place. If I do, the flowers are amazing. It also flowers more heavily over time.

Donna

I planted my oakleaf three years ago in my Manchester, NH yard. The first year I didn't think it would make it. The second year it grew a bit more, but was nothing to brag about. This year, it took off! It's now about 3.5-feet-tall and has foot-long (no exagerration) blooms that right now (mid August) are multi-hued: white, pale green, rust. Absolutely stunning! I suggest that you be patient if your oakleaf doesn't bloom the first few years.

On the contrary to someone saying that this plant will not grow in heavy clay, I grew it almost too successfully in Richardson, TX, where the soil is "gumbo", black heavy clay that shrinks when dry to the point that there are cracks in the ground that will eat your foot and swells and becomes like glue when it 's wet. My hydrangeas grew and bloomed like crazy reaching 8-10 feet and had to be pruned back every year. In the kind of heat there, they had to be in a lot of shade, otherwise they burned and did very poorly.

I now live in Virginia, and have Oakleaf Hydrangeas again. They do well here. One is in sun most of the day and, surprisingly, it is fine. The first year it burned a little, but is growing and blooming beautifully now. We have red clay soil here, but not as much as Georgia. I have to say that the clay here is so much easier to deal with that the gumbo in TX. Add a little organic matter and it grows almost anything. Also, I plant as many natives as possible.

I have an oak leaf on a slope under neath a large dogwood. The soil is dry, sandy and a bit acidic. I cut the six foot plant back last fall, but only lightly and now think it needs heavier pruning to keep its size appropriate to the bed it is in. It is surrounded by rhododenrons, hosta, astilbe, ferns, vinca, anemone, heuchera and columbine and they seem to get along well. It gets dappled sun, Its a new plant for me, but seems trouble-free. I appreciate the comments of others as to its growth potential.

About ten years ago, my church planted a row of these in what has become perhaps more shade than they like. The sandy hill top in Logansport, IN, has proved to be a functional site. The shrubs bloom nicely, but we have let them get a little leggy. Over the summer, we started to limb up the trees that shade the garden to get a little more light and air back.

This is a stunning plant and a great addition to any landscape! It's very showy. It doesn't require a lot of care and is a prolific bloomer. The huge white bloom clusters turn pink in late summer and fall -- and they are still attractive even after they turn golden brown in winter. The large oak-like leaves are beautiful as well and turn a gorgeous scarlet in fall, later darkening to a deep plum. It grows quickly and doesn't require pruning unless it gets too large for the space it's in. NOTE: If you need to prune, do so before August!!! If you prune after August, you will have no blooms the following year. This plant sets its buds for the following year in August, September or October. This particular type of hydrangea can tolerate dry areas better than others. Mine is planted under a large bay window (the bay is quite far off the ground). It doesn't get as much rain as plants out in the open, but continues to thrive. I do water it during dry periods to make sure. Like many plants, it doesn't like clay or compacted soil. I'm fortunate to have wonderful soil here -- but if you have clay, be sure to dig a very large hole and amend the soil well with organic material to lighten it and help it drain. Leave a lot of room for this bush, as it can get quite large. Interesting, I just read that this is one of the only hydrangeas that are native to the United States.

I have a Pee Wee variety of an Oakleaf Hyd. Says full sun-deep shade. I keep all of my Hyd. in big pots in afternoon shade.They are 4 years now, I think. I only have this one Oakleaf. I just recently moved it in it's pot to an area with more sun in the afternoon to see if more flowers will bloom as it seems to be a slow bloomer, but it had more this year than ever before. It is now in it's brown stage and the leaves are barely changing over to reddish. I am in the San Fran Bay area, zone 9. It isn't my favorite, as the mopheads are, but it is different. It is at 4' as the tag says it grows and it needs lots of water, being in the pot etc., it gets limp if not kept moist, even in the shade as it was being kept in. I do like it tho. I have about 11 varieties of Hyd.

This plant is gorgeous! It has something for all seasons. It does take about 3 years before plant it produces a bloom. I live in Connecticut, and the plant gets morning shade and partial shade in the afternoon. This bloom is hugh, ice cream shaped and about 1/2 foot long. The Oakleaf Hydranges stands out.

I moved to Pensacola this summer from Miami, and was unfamiliar with plants that donot grow in the tripics. There was a clump of scrub oaks in the front yard that I was going to cut down, but recently I noticed this white flowering plant growing in the middle. I was reading a gardening book and realized it was an oakleaf Hydrangea. I cut back the oaks and vines and now have a 7 by 5 feet bed of oakleaf hydrangeas. It is absolutely beautiful. It has had hardly any water and no fertilizer and looks beautiful. I can't wait to see what happens with a little tlc.

This plant is gorgeous! It has something for all seasons....which down here in the South is rare. It blooms in the warm weather, in the Fall the foliage turns orange and red, in the winter the leaves go scarlet and dark purple/almost black. Mine were here when I bought the house and were medium sized...but with regular watering and a little TLC, they have doubled in size in just 2 months.

Unless I missed something, no one mentioned the vanilla scent.. it's beautiful and lasts about a month.

I noticed this plant only being grown through zone 6a but I live in 5a and it grows well for me, here. It is on the north side of the house and only gets early morning sun. I sure enjoy each season of them except winter, when were not here anyway.

I planted a small seedling of Oak Leaf Hydrangea about 3 years ago as a gift from a friend when I bought my house. The plant continues to survive, but has only grown about 2 ft high and has not bloomed. I may have placed it in too much shade (receives mostly morning sun at the base of an oak tree). It grew more last year than the previous two years, so I have hope that it will someday reach heights similar to what is reported here. I do greatly enjoy the blossoms and the dried flowers are wonderful and long-lasting for arrangements.

April 2006 update -- the plant made a great deal more growth this past year and finally bloomed for me this month. My recommendation for this plant would be to practice patience - put it in a favorable spot and leave it until it develops a good root system. It will then grow larger and flower over time.

December 2007 update -- I don't know if my original Oak Leaf Hydrangea made it through the drought we had here this summer. I got another small Oak Leaf Hydrangea a few months ago that I planted in more sun in an area that I drag the hose to more frequently. The new hydrangea is showing signs of vigorous growth already.

I recently discovered in my part-time job of tending a new garden at the Jacksonville Zoo and Gardens that Oak Leaf Hydrangeas will not survive standing in water for even a few days. We had a very heavy deluge that lasted a couple of days just after the hydrangeas were planted. Several of the freshly planted hydrangeas didn't survive. The differences of the reports above about Oak Leaf Hydrangea not growing in heavy clay in one area whereas it does in another, may have to do with the amount of water the hydrangea gets. "Less is more," would definitely be the recommendation for water applications to Oak Leaf Hydrangea in heavy clay or other soils that won't drain quickly.

Jeremy

Contrary to lupinelovr's experience, and entirely ignorant of it, I planted a pathetic, abused $3.98 gallon oakleaf hydrangea in heavy clay soil and fairly dim shade in my garden. 3 years later, it's a splendid shrub, about 4-5' high, covered with white panicles of flowers in late summer, and decorated with burgundy leaves later in fall.

Some cultivars have double or single blossoms. Search for photos. Suckering habit. Good Florida fall color choice. And is one of only 2 native hydrangeas (US). I think it is probably more cold hardy than indicated above, having seen reports of it growing in lower zones at another web site.

I planted a very small Oakleaf Hyd. back in 1974. My soil is very hard clay. We have not done anything to it over the years except trim it back in the fall each year. It is now 20ft or more tall each year depending on how much we cut it back. I like mainly because the flowers are beautiful both in the spring and in the fall. The transition from white to brown over the late summer make it a nice plant all summer. My only regret is that I planted it in the back yard and no one else can enjoy it. I posted a fall picture of it here.

Here in Grove, Oklahoma, oak leaf hydrangeas thrive in the shade, on a northeastern slope, under tall oaks. A sprinkler system waters weekly July through September, otherwise they receive no care, but are very vigorous.

The largest oak leaf hydrangea I've even seen grew in my parent's backyard in Southcentral Georgia, on a sand hill under huge, old, live oak trees. Every spring this thing would emerge and grow at least 15 feet tall and as wide. At first my Father tried to keep it pruned, but as both the plant and my Father grew older, eventually the huge thing had that flower bed all to itself every year, as nothing else could compete with it. In full flower it was an absolutely splendid sight.

My oakleaf hydrangeas are very happy on the north side of my house where they get early morning sun and afternoon shade. The soil is quite rich in the gardens they are in. The first plant I purchased is now as tall as the house (about 8-9 feet tall). It was purchased in a one-gallon pot and was about 2 ft. tall three years ago. It has bloomed for me every year, and each year the blooms are more prolific. As the blooms mature, they turn a deep pink color, then turn brown and dry out. In the fall, you get color from the large, oak-leaf shaped leaves. Mine turn bronze. In Zone 9b, they will drop some or most of their leaves in the winter but quickly resprout new ones in the spring.

Oakleaf hydrangea does not tolerate heavy clay soil.

Oakleaf Hydrangea is native to the southeastern United States and was found near Macon, Georgia and described by William Bartram in 1773.

Handsome deciduous shrub has large, coarse leaves that resemble those of an oak tree. They are about 8" long and turn from red to bronze to purple in the fall. Pyramidal clusters of white 4"-12" "mophead" type blossoms appear in late spring.