Oakleaf hydrangea
Hydrangea quercifolia · Hydrangeaceae Popular
A native shrub for every season: cone-shaped white flowers that age to pink, huge oak-shaped leaves that turn wine red and purple in autumn, and peeling, cinnamon-coloured bark in winter.
- Size
- 6½ ft tall, 8 ft wide
- Zones
- 5 to 9
- Light
- Full sun to part shade
- Flowers
- Mid June to early August
- Pets
- Toxic (mild)
- Job in a bed
- Anchor
A bed built around oakleaf hydrangea
The planner designed this bed around oakleaf hydrangea when this page was made: a 22 × 10 ft (6.7 × 3.0 m) English border in zone 6, part sun. It chose the other plants from the 708 that suit those conditions, and says below why oakleaf hydrangea stands where it does.
The plants
- 1 Oakleaf hydrangea × 1, white
- 2 Stemless gentian × 29, blue
- 3 Mouse-ear coreopsis 'Nana' × 22, yellow
- 4 White mugwort × 3, cream
- 5 Joe Pye weed 'Little Joe' × 4, pink
- 6 Canadian burnet × 3, white
- 7 Lady's mantle × 3, green
- 8 Virginia bluebells × 16, blue
- 9 Siberian iris 'Caesar's Brother' × 3, purple
- 10 Woodland phlox × 11, lavender
- 11 Green-and-gold × 15, yellow
- 12 Wild geranium 'Espresso' × 8, pink
- 13 Spring snowflake × 12, white
- 14 Snowdrop × 12, white
- 15 Surprise lily × 3, pink
Why this plant
- The bed's only structure. Shrubs and grasses keep their shape when the perennials die down, and it is the only one here.
Why here
- Anchors a back corner. At 6½ ft it is the tallest plant here, and the tallest close the ends of the bed, where they stand in front of nothing.
- A step in the back row. Next to Joe Pye weed 'Little Joe' (4 ft): no two neighbours there are the same height, so the back steps up and down like a skyline.
- One plant, alone. A shrub is seen as an object, and needs clear ground around it.
Why now
- In flower for 9 weeks. From mid June to early August.
- Fills a gap. For two of those weeks nothing else on the plan is in flower.
Planned as an English border: 26 of the 29 groups (90%) are drifts, longer along the bed than they are deep. The flowering is at its height in early May, with 6 kinds out together. Low plants run along 100% of the front edge.
The planner's own design check: 12 Excellent, 5 Good. It flags one thing to watch: Nothing on this plan is highly poisonous or an aggressive spreader.
Open this bed in the planner Change its size, the sun or the style, move plants about, or swap one for another.
Where oakleaf hydrangea goes in a border
At 6½ ft it belongs at the back of a bed. In the planner's ten height classes it is very tall (5 to 6½ ft).
Its job: anchor. A shrub that gives the bed permanent structure. Planted singly, as soon as the front edge is laid; everything else is arranged around it.
The best hydrangea for foliage, and the most tolerant of dry shade once established. Give it room to make its natural mound, and do not prune it except to remove dead wood.
- Four seasons of interest
- Woodland edges and part shade
- Bold foliage
What to plant with oakleaf hydrangea
Plants recorded as good partners for it, and what each pairing does:
- Hosta: its green leaves are a setting for the flowers, before and after; spires rising out of its mound; low enough (18 in) to stand in front of it.
- Christmas fern: its dark green leaves are a setting for the flowers, before and after; medium leaves against its bold ones; low enough (20 in) to stand in front of it.
- Lenten rose: flowers first, late March to early May, so the spot is never empty; low enough (18 in) to stand in front of it.
Choosing between it and a look-alike? Oakleaf hydrangea vs Panicle hydrangea 'Limelight'.
Questions about oakleaf hydrangea
Does oakleaf hydrangea need sun or shade?
Oakleaf hydrangea grows in full sun (6 or more hours of direct sun a day), part sun (4 to 6 hours of sun, including some afternoon sun) and part shade (2 to 4 hours of sun, mostly in the morning).
It wants soil that stays evenly moist, rich in organic matter, and a good soak in dry spells. Once settled in, it stands drought.
What zones does oakleaf hydrangea grow in?
USDA zones 5 to 9. It is hardy to zone 5, which means it survives winter nights down to about −10 °F (−23 °C).
Gardening in Canada? Use the USDA zone for your town: Canada's own zone map uses different numbers.
When does oakleaf hydrangea flower in my zone?
In zone 5 it flowers mid June to early August. As a summer flower it moves about half a week for every zone: earlier where it is warmer.
| Zone 5 | Mid June to early August |
|---|---|
| Zone 6 | Mid June to early August |
| Zone 7 | Early June to early August |
| Zone 8 | Early June to early August |
| Zone 9 | Late May to late July |
Worked out from Hopkins' bioclimatic law: spring arrives about four days later for each degree of latitude north, and one zone is roughly two degrees. A warm spring or a cold one moves any garden two weeks either way.
How far apart should oakleaf hydrangea be planted?
6 ft (180 cm) apart, from the middle of one plant to the middle of the next. That is a little closer than its full width of 8 ft (240 cm), so a group knits into one patch.
It grows 6½ ft (200 cm) tall. Give it the full distance from anything taller, or it will lean out towards the light.
How many oakleaf hydrangea plants do I need?
Usually one. At 6 ft (180 cm) across, it is a plant you place, not one you mass. For a hedge or screen, set them 6 ft apart: two plants for a 10 ft run.
In the bed above, the planner used one in one group.
Is oakleaf hydrangea poisonous to dogs and cats?
Yes: mild toxicity to people, dogs, cats and horses. Leaves and buds can cause vomiting and diarrhoea if eaten.
Rated from NC State Extension. Where references disagree, the more cautious rating is used.
Do deer eat oakleaf hydrangea?
They may. NC State does not list it as resistant to deer or rabbits. Where they visit, protect it, or plant it among ones they avoid.
Will oakleaf hydrangea spread?
It spreads sideways, by runners or roots; the risk of it taking over is moderate. Spreads by suckers into a wider clump. Remove the outer shoots to contain it.
What flowers after oakleaf hydrangea?
Oakleaf hydrangea is over by early August. These start as it finishes and carry the same spot on, so it never goes flat:
- Japanese anemone: from mid August to early October, 3 ft tall, to stand in front of it and cover its fading stems.
- Switchgrass 'Northwind': from early August to early October, 5½ ft tall.
- Little bluestem 'Standing Ovation': from early August to mid September, 3½ ft tall, to stand in front of it and cover its fading stems.
What does oakleaf hydrangea look like in winter?
Oakleaf hydrangea drops its leaves and stands as bare branches. That is when to see its shape, and to prune it if it needs pruning.
Is oakleaf hydrangea good for bees and butterflies?
Oakleaf hydrangea is visited by pollinators, butterflies and songbirds.
It is native to the United States.
More Hydrangea
- Bigleaf hydrangea Hydrangea macrophylla
- Bigleaf hydrangea 'Endless Summer' Hydrangea macrophylla 'Bailmer' (Endless Summer)
- Bigleaf hydrangea 'Nikko Blue' Hydrangea macrophylla 'Nikko Blue'
- Lacecap hydrangea 'Twist-n-Shout' Hydrangea macrophylla 'PIIHM-I' (Twist-n-Shout)
- Mountain hydrangea Hydrangea serrata
- Mountain hydrangea 'Bluebird' Hydrangea serrata 'Bluebird'
- Mountain hydrangea 'Tuff Stuff' Hydrangea serrata 'MAK20' (Tuff Stuff)
- Oakleaf hydrangea 'Alice' Hydrangea quercifolia 'Alice'
- Oakleaf hydrangea 'Munchkin' Hydrangea quercifolia 'Munchkin'
- Oakleaf hydrangea 'Pee Wee' Hydrangea quercifolia 'Pee Wee'
- Oakleaf hydrangea 'Ruby Slippers' Hydrangea quercifolia 'Ruby Slippers'
- Oakleaf hydrangea 'Snow Queen' Hydrangea quercifolia 'Snow Queen'
- Panicle hydrangea 'Bobo' Hydrangea paniculata 'Bobo'
- Panicle hydrangea 'Fire Light' Hydrangea paniculata 'SMHPFL' (Fire Light)
- Panicle hydrangea 'Limelight' Hydrangea paniculata 'Limelight'
- Panicle hydrangea 'Little Lime' Hydrangea paniculata 'Jane' (Little Lime)
- Panicle hydrangea 'Pinky Winky' Hydrangea paniculata 'DVP PINKY' (Pinky Winky)
- Panicle hydrangea 'Quick Fire' Hydrangea paniculata 'Quick Fire'
- Panicle hydrangea 'Tardiva' Hydrangea paniculata 'Tardiva'
- Panicle hydrangea 'Vanilla Strawberry' Hydrangea paniculata 'Vanilla Strawberry'
- PeeGee hydrangea Hydrangea paniculata 'Grandiflora'
- Smooth hydrangea 'Annabelle' Hydrangea arborescens 'Annabelle'
- Smooth hydrangea 'Incrediball' Hydrangea arborescens 'Incrediball'
- Smooth hydrangea 'Invincibelle Spirit II' Hydrangea arborescens 'NCHA2' (Invincibelle Spirit II)
In these guides
- Plants for dry shade
- Garden plants toxic to cats
- Garden plants toxic to dogs
- Native plants for shade
- Plants for butterflies
- Plants that feed garden birds
- Plants with purple and burgundy leaves
Every fact on record
- Type
- Shrub
- Size
- 6½ ft (200 cm) tall, 8 ft (240 cm) wide
- Plant
- 6 ft (180 cm) apart
- Height class
- Very tall (5 to 6½ ft)
- Place in the bed
- Back
- Flowers
- Mid June to early August; dense clusters; white, pink
- Leaves
- Bold texture, deciduous; dark green, burgundy
- Shape
- Rounded, spreading
- Hardy in
- USDA zones 5 to 9
- Light
- Full sun, part sun, part shade
- Soil
- Rich, evenly moist
- Water
- Moderate
- Feeding
- Light, in spring
- Family
- Hydrangeaceae
- Comes from
- Southeastern USA
- Attracts
- Pollinators, butterflies, songbirds
- Stands up to
- Drought
Checked against NC State Extension. Flowering times are for zone 5: later in colder zones, earlier in warmer ones. Toxicity and spread information is a general gardening guide, not veterinary or medical advice, and invasive status varies by region. If a person or pet eats a plant, contact poison control or a vet. Check your local invasive species list before planting anything with a spread warning.