Southeastern United States
Upright, irregular, rounded, multi-stemmed deciduous shrub with limited branching; stoloniferous, forms colonies
Sun to partial shade; prefers moist, well-drained soil but tolerates damp soil.
Mass or group in a mixed border or naturalize in woodland garden; accent or specimens, foundation plantings or hedges.
Opposite, simple, bold leathery, oak-shaped leaves; 3 to 8 inches long; wine-red, orange in fall. Dark green in summer.
Buds are imbricate, 4 to 6 scaled, divergent, brownish, tomentone; terminal much larger than laterals
Mature stems exfoliate to reveal rich brown inner bark attractive in winter.
4 to 12 inch erect panicles of creamy white flowers in summer; fades to pink, then tan in winter; good for drying. :When aging
Dry capsule, not showy, persist through winter.
Layering and division of parent plant. Firm wood cuttings taken in May, June and into September and treat with 5000 ppm KIBA. Place in well drained medium, either all perlite or 3:1 perlite/peat and mist. 4-6 week rooting time.
'Amethyst' - The unique white flower clusters mature a striking rich wine red unmatched by any other oakleaf hydrangea.
'Brido' Snowflake(TM) - Huge pendulous flowers open white and fade to purple pink. Sterile flowers double petaled. June bloom.
'Little Honey' - Foliage emerges gold, fades to chartreuse, then burgundy red in fall. Do not plant in full sun; leaves will burn. Summer white flowers may develop slight pink as they mature.
'Munchkin' - This compact plant was bred at the U.S. National Arboretum and produces abundant 6.5 inches long white flowers that gradually turn medium pink.
'Ruby Slippers' - Also bred at the U.S. National Arboretum and possibly the most compact of the oakleaf hydrangeas. This selection has 9-inch long summer flowers that open white, quickly turning pale pink and deepening to rose.
