Adaptable oakleaf hydrangeas provide year-round interest in the garden
Asking me to choose my favorite plant is like asking which is my favorite child! A difficult question to answer, but since I’m not at risk to damaging fragile little egos, I’d have to say one of my favorite plants is the oakleaf hydrangea (Hydrangea quercifolia). The reason being this is a plant with four seasons of interest. I like that because it saves me time, energy and money as well. Once established it rewards me spring, summer, fall and winter.
Hydrangea quercifolia is native to the United States, growing about six to eight feet tall and sometimes topping out at 10 to 12 feet. The large, dark green leaves have silvery undersides and are shaped similarly to the Northern Red Oak from which it gets its common name. It is hardy from zones 5-9.
Cone shaped flowers can be as much as a foot long. The blooms are primarily white, gradually developing a pink blush then turning red as the seasons change. Individual florets can be single or double.
Although beautiful and lush throughout the spring and summer I look forward to the upcoming warm days and cool nights of October and November which turn the flowers red and the foliage into a myriad of yellow, orange, red, brown and burgundy shades. In protected locations the leaves persist for a long period before falling to reveal an irregular branching structure of exfoliating bark in cinnamon shades. The contrast against a white snowy blanket is stunning.
Oakleaf hydrangeas bloom best where summers are hot but prefer some afternoon shade. It its more northern range it can be planted in full sun. The greater the sun exposure the more prolific are the blooms and you’ll get the most spectacular fall color.
This shrub tolerates drier soil than its mophead cousins but cannot stand wet feet. Plant it in moist, well-drained, acidic soil that has been amended with compost or other organic matter. It can be used as a mass planting in shady woodland areas or as a specimen feature in the landscape.
Although pruning is rarely necessary, be sure to do so after blooming and before August. The following year’s flower buds are set in late summer and early fall. “Deadhead” old blossoms anytime by simply snipping them off. I like to leave the flowers on the plant to enjoy into the winter months.
If you are cutting the blossoms for flower arrangements you can cut longer stems before August. After that only cut short stems or you risk losing blooms for next year.
You will find that oakleaf hydrangeas are relatively pest and disease free. This is another plus in my book because it means plants will keep looking and performing their best all year round without the need for any chemical intervention (always a last resort in my book).
‘Alice’ is a beautiful selection with single white flowers.
‘Snowflake’ is probably the most popular of the double flowered varieties. Its creamy white blooms can get up to a foot long.
‘Pee Wee’ is a compact form growing about four feet high and three feet wide.
‘Little Honey’ has golden foliage in the spring, changing to chartreuse then green with beautiful burgundy red fall color.
Indeed, oakleaf hydrangeas are a staple in my gardens. Hardy throughout many parts of the country, they’re beautiful year round with stunning foliage, beautiful flowers and interesting bark. They’re pest and disease resistant, bloom in shade and they’re extremely carefree. What more could we ask of such a plant for our gardens and landscapes?
About Joe Lamp'l
Joe Lamp'l is the Host and Executive Producer of the award winning PBS television series Growing A Greener World. Off camera, Joe dedicates his time to promoting sustainability through his popular books, blog, podcast series, and nationally syndicated newspaper columns. Follow Joe on Twitter
Hi, I planted two oakleafs about three weeks ago and one has all of it’s leaves curling and drying up. Just after I planted it, we had a lot of rain (two weeks of it). How can I tell if the plant has root rot? Today when I went to check on it, I noticed that it is putting out new growth. Is this normal to be getting growth in October? I live in central Virginia.
It can be. You could have dug it up and inspected since you planted it so recently. But now that you see it is putting on new growth, hopefully, it was just adjusting to the transplant and is now settling in.
Oakleafs can die though due to soil that doesn’t drain well enough. So make sure that is not an issue.
I hope you get this! I have many oakleaf hydrangeas – some in morning sun, some in part-shade – the only ones that have autumn colour are in sun, even those that definitely get some sun but are in shadier parts of the garden just do not change colour. I can find nothing about this anywhere and as they were in full colour when they were purchased, in each case, it is so frustrating! Everywhere we are told that this hydrangea is fine in sometimes more than partial shade, but it doesn’t seem to be the case.
Hi Margaret. I have many oakleaf hydrangeas on my property and some are in vivid full color right next to ones that are not. I believe they are the same variety but can be certain now. I would say the light is likely the biggest reason some color up more than others when they are the same variety. Oakleaf hydrangeas are versatile and forgiving in the growing conditions from shade to full sun. But performance on flowers and color will depend on the light most of all.
I have a pee wee oakleaf hydrangea that is 4 ft tall but the orginal homeowner planted it right in front of the big picture window. Can I transplant it and if so how? I live in west virginia
Amy,
I would wait until you hydrangea is dormant and transplant it then. Late winter, February would be a good time before it starts to put on active growth in early spring. Make sure to dig a wide rootball and try to dig deep enough to get as many roots as possible. I would have a large plastic tarp next to the hole and that way you can drag the rootball and plant to its new home. Make sure to water it well when you transplant it and keep it watered on a regular basis during the first growing season.
how long does it take for a pee wee to reach its full size?
Heather, If you started with a small gallon sized plant, it will likely take two or three growing seasons to reach 3 to 4′ tall and wide.
Hi, I’m planning on transplanting an oak leaf hydrangea that I’ve been told is about 5 ft tall and maybe about the same circumference. More or less, how deep would you say the roots will be? Also, will pruning it so that only about one foot stems remain be damaging? This transplant will take place when plant is dormant.
Amy,
Oakleaf hydrangeas are a favorite of mine in every season. I recommend root pruning now and transplanting when it is dormant.
Root prune, roughly around the drip line and only cut back the top growth by no more than 1/3 when it is dormant. Water it well after you transplant. Mulching is also a good practice.
I planted 3 oak leave hydrangeas last year. They were loaded with white blooms this year but the blooms never turned pink. The blooms just went brown. The plants themselves seem very healthy. I live in southern Indiana. Why did this happen?
Oak leaf hydrangeas do not always turn pink. Some just go from white to brown. It could be
environmental, heat, dryness, a number of things. If the blooms are brown and crispy I would cut them off.
Did you keep them well watered during periods of drought? Maybe next year you will get to experience some of the
pink and red highlights the blooms turn after they flower.
Hi,
I have a dwarf oakleaf (Ruby Slippers ) that I planted last year. It has grown alot since then & the leaves havery been green to burgendy. However I have never gotten one single flower?!
It takes time for plants to establish before they’re ready to do all they’re capable of. I have a similar situation in my garden. No flowers this year as they direct all their resources into survival and establishment. Be patient and you will be rewarded Jennifer!
Dear Joe, We have a gorgeous oak leaf hydrangea in our Edenton, NC yard. It is quite large, and is the centerpiece of our yard. This morning, a new lawn crew came to do some general trimming, and they cut our prized oakleaf into a small bush! We are so sad. My question is: how quickly does this bush tend to grow, and can we expect it to be as beautiful again. We have lived in our home for six years, and I believe the bush was planted when the house was built approximately 20 years ago. Thank you for your consideration.
Another horror story from “professional” landscape crews that don’t know the difference between a hydrangea and an hosta!!! Oh, these just chaps my hide!
To your question, yes Marshall, thankfully hydrangeas, and Oakleafs especially are pretty tough and taking a licking and keep on going. While I’m not thrilled with the timing of this event,
there should still be time for it to put on new growth that will harden up enough before it gets cold again. Then next spring, you should see even more new growth emerging to rapidly fill in the voids.
I suspect you will have blooms as well next summer.
I live in Dothan, Alabama, and just purchased a home with wry well established oak leaf hydrangeas. (10 ft tall)
Can I prune these down quite a bit and still ha e flowers next season? They are just too big.
yes Janet but do it now so the new branches have time to form and set buds before frost. You should have a great display on more manageable sizes next summer.
I have an Alice Oakleaf in Zone 7B-Greensboro NC that’s about 3 years old. It doesn’t bloom, maybe 3-4 blooms & that’s it. It continues to grow in girth & height but not blooms. It has not been pruned much.
I’m fairly certain it’s not getting enough sun. How much afternoon sun can it tolerate & when is the best time to move it? It does get quite hot here in NC in the summer & very humid at times. Should I also take this as an opportunity to divide it? If so, what’s the best way to do that?
I’m looking forward to lots & lots of blooms on this plant.
Thank you so very much for your help!
You can’t divide this plant but you can take cuttings in mid summer to make more plants. Oakleaf hydrangeas can actually tolerate full sun, although they prefer afternoon shade. Moving these and most plants is best done in fall, or when plant is dormant into winter. Some morning sun should def. help with the blooming. However, oakleaf hydrangeas will bloom in full shade, just not as much.
Hi Joe, My Oak Leaf Hydrangea suffer from mites that start in May. Plants are in a shaded, windy area with plenty of water at the soil line. I have tried everything from ‘super-mites’, to mite pesticides, to pruning… still no luck. Now I am thinking about a hard pruning — after leaf drop– with organic liquid feed to boost the plant. Any thoughts?
Suzanne in 9b
I would first try insecticidal soap Suzanne. Make sure to get under the leaves where they hide and feed. Once the leaves drop, there’s no need to do a hard pruning unless you want to reduce the size. Also, the organic liquid feed I don’t think would hurt to do now. Perhaps a more vigorous plant would be less susceptible to mites and other pests.
Hi Joe, really enjoyed your article on the oakleaf.
I have one that was a “baby” from a friend and it is a good bush.
One small problem. We doubted it would make it and I planted it 10 feet from a small
end of season garden shop spruce which I also feared would not make it. As you
have probably guessed BOTH not only lived but done well. Which do I dare to transplant?
And how do I go about doing so w/ a 7 foot tall oakleaf and when? I live in Northwest Missouri.
Thanks for your time and help.
AJW
I’m not sure how tall the spruce is but if it’s too large, I would def. wait until late fall and transplant the oakleaf after it has lost its foliage for the year. You can also cut it back then if necessary to make it easier to dig. But do wait until it is dormant. A 7′ tall plant is certainly big. But if you get enough of the root mass (which is key), keep it watered through the fall and winter and into spring, it should make it. However, you can also leave it in place and prune it back in mid winter to tame its size.
I have a question about my oak leaf hydrangeas. Live in Hampton Bays NY and my oak leafs are doing great. They look as though smaller ones are growing about a foot away from original ones. Can I transplant them and when would be a good time?
You can easily transplant oakleaf hydrangeas. The best time to do so is when they’re dormant. So for you, I would wait until late fall once they’ve dropped their leaves.
I hope you can answer a question for me. Last fall I purchased a Ruby Slippers Oakleaf Hydrangea online. When it arrived it was a 12-15 inch stem with five leaves and no branches. The leaves fell and now it looks like a dead stick in the ground. Should I expect life from it? If so, when should it leaf? I live in Texas and see a lot of growth in my lawn and garden, but nothing from the hydrangea.
Thank you for your help.
Pam, you’ll know if it’s dead this spring if it doesn’t put out new growth from dormant buds. Right now, everything can look dead and I’m hoping your plant is just dormant. Actually I would cut the stem now about a quarter inch above where you should be able to see to dormant buds, opposite each other on the stem. If you cut the stem now, those buds will form new branches this spring. Then you should repeat the process around mid summer on the new branches so for each cut, you get two new branches. This of course assumes your hydrangea is not dead but merely dormant.
If you need more information about pruning, go back to my website and type pruning in the search field and hit enter. I did a thorough article that will address this. Good luck Pam.
I have a question. I had 5 nice looking oak leaf hydrangeas planted last September when my landscaping was redone. They look healthy and are in a moderately shady area in zone 5. I have kept them watered so they wouldn’t droop and would establish a good root system. I only pruned off branches that were dead, which was very few. They are very bushy and green but have no flowers at all. I’m still waiting for them to bloom. In googling to get information, I came across your site and thought I would try my luck at asking a question. I know this is an older post but thought it was worth a try. My only other thought was that maybe our Michigan winter was too harsh last year and killed all the flower buds. My other types of hydrangeas all bloomed beautifully in the same general area. Thanks for your time.
Hi Mary Jo. It is very possible that the cold weather killed the buds of the oakleaf hydrangeas. But at this point you won’t know until next summer, assuming you have a reasonable winter. Let’s hope you see lots of blooms on them. Since they bloom on old wood, you’re doing the right thing to not cut them back (unless you do it right after they bloom in summer–which you have not had a chance to do yet).
Loved your commentary. Made me excited about my new oakleaf hydrageneas. Do you answer questions? I have some small holes in the leaves and have found no answers as to what is causing this and what to do. I live in Tampa, FL
Thanks Sharon. I answer questions as I have time but I don’t know off hand what would be causing that. But personally I don’t worry much about minor cosmetic damage. If you want more specifics, take a leaf sample with the damage to your local county extension service or send them a picture. Be sure to look underneath the leaves as well. This is where most critters hang out. Good luck.