Find a plant:

OR Browse All Plants


Hydrangea quercifolia (Oakleaf hydrangea)

Hydrangea quercifolia Photo/Illustration: Michelle Gervais

(Based on 2 user reviews)

Rate this plant

Plant Showcase - from our advertisers


Hardiness Zones: 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11
Botanical Name: Hydrangea quercifolia hy-DRAIN-jah kwer-sih-FOE-lee-ah Common Name: Oakleaf hydrangea Genus: Hydrangea

Oakleaf hydrangeas originated along the sandy streams of the southeastern United States, and they are more drought tolerant than many other hydrangeas. Their matte green leaves are coarsely textured and deeply lobed, and in fall they turn red and purple. White flower heads form in spring, and as summer draws to a close they turn shades of pink, green, and ecru.


 Care: Moist, well-drained soil.
 Propagation:

Sow seed in a cold frame in spring; take softwood cuttings in early summer, hardwood cuttings in winter. 


 Problems:

 Gray mold, slugs, powdery mildew, rust, ringspot virus, leaf spots.
Height 3 ft. to 6 ft.;6 ft. to 10 ft.
Spread 6 ft. to 10 ft.
Growth Pace Moderate Grower
Light Full Sun to Part Shade
Moisture Medium Moisture
Maintenance Low
Characteristics Showy Fall Foliage; Showy Flowers
Bloom Time Early Summer; Late Spring; Spring; Summer
Flower Color Pink Flower; Purple/ Lavender Flower; White Flower
Uses , Hedge, Naturalizing
Style , Shade, Woodland Garden
Seasonal Interest , Spring Interest, Summer Interest, Fall Interest
Type ,Shrubs,Natives

Plants you might also like

Aesculus parviflora var. serotina 'Rogers' Aesculus parviflora var. serotina 'Rogers'
('Rogers' bottlebrush buckeye) Be the first to rate this plant
Hardiness Zones: 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11

This is a suckering, deciduous shrub grown for it's white, bottlebrush-like flowers in early summer. The flowers are considerably longer than those of the species at up to 30 inches, and emerge a couple of weeks later. The shrub grows to 10 feet tall and 15 feet wide and prefers full sun to partial shade and moist, well-drained soil. Its layers of broad leaves turn gold in fall.Suitable for a medium to large garden.
Fothergilla 'Blue Shadow' Fothergilla 'Blue Shadow'
(Dwarf Fothergilla, Dwarf Witch Alder ) Be the first to rate this plant
Hardiness Zones: 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11

These shrubs are beautiful, compact, and easy to grow, making them obvious choices for mixed borders, foundation plantings, and naturalizing. The fragrant, bottlebrush flowers are petalless and sweetly-scented.
Robinia hispida Robinia hispida
(Rose acacia, Bristly locust) Be the first to rate this plant
Hardiness Zones: 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11

This showy flowering shrub grows to 8 feet tall and wide and features dark green, compound pinnate leaves on bristly stems and pendant clusters of fragrant, pea-like, rose-pink flowers that are attractive to bees and butterflies in late spring and early summer. The flowers are occasionally followed by bristly, reddish-brown seed pods. Native to the southeastern United States, this aggressive shrub spreads by suckers and is considered invasive in Michigan, New Jersey, Ohio, Pennsylvania, and Washington. All parts of this plant are at least mildly poisonous.
Fallugia paradoxa Fallugia paradoxa
(Apache plume) Be the first to rate this plant
Hardiness Zones: 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11

A member of the rose family (Rosaceae), Apache plume has single, white, rose-like flowers in a fine-textured shrub up to 5 feet tall and 8 feet wide. Flowering occurs from late spring until late summer, and is followed by clouds of showy, pink, feater-duster-like seed heads that are just as showy as the flowers.
Heteromeles arbutifolia Heteromeles arbutifolia
(Toyon, Christmas berry, California holly) Be the first to rate this plant
Hardiness Zones: 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11

This evergreen, California-native shrub grows to 20 feet tall and wide and produces abundant clusters of tiny white flowers in early summer, which attract beneficial insects that help control pests. This is followed by bright red berries that feed wildlife in fall and winter. The only species of its genus, Toyon is closely related to the genus Photinia.