Oakleaf Hydrangea
Hydrangea quercifolia
White June panicles age to parchment and rose, oak-like leaves turn orange to burgundy, and cinnamon bark carries winter. Four-season value.
Typically 1 quart–3 gal · $17–$85 · final price at pickup
- Thu, Aug 138 AM – 4 PM
- Fri, Aug 148 AM – 4 PM
- Sat, Aug 158 AM – 2 PM
Four-season interest, pollinator value, dramatic fall color, and exfoliating winter bark. oakleaf hydrangea earns more than any other native shrub per square foot of garden space.
Oakleaf hydrangea is the native shrub we recommend more than almost anything else. The large white panicle blooms open in June and age through cream and parchment to tan and rose, eventually drying on the plant in rich parchment tones that look beautiful through winter. The leaves are striking, deeply lobed like a giant oak leaf, and in fall they turn orange, scarlet, and burgundy in combinations that are genuinely dramatic. After leaves drop, the exfoliating cinnamon-brown bark reveals itself, keeping the plant interesting until the next spring. It's one of very few native shrubs that delivers meaningful ornamental value in all four seasons. Native pollinators work the flowers through summer, and the dense structure provides nesting cover for birds year-round.
A nursery-grown plant, ready for the ground.
Healthy, container-grown oakleaf hydrangea propagated on-site at Hill House from regional genetics. Includes a one-page care card. We make every effort to supply plants as listed; occasionally we substitute a similar species of equal value.
Plant oakleaf hydrangea instead of Panicle hydrangea cultivars with non-native origin. Same job in the garden, without the spread.
- Mature size
- 4'–8' · 60-96 inches wide
- Family
- Hydrangeaceae
- Native range
- Southeastern United States (AL, FL, GA, LA, MS, SC, TN)
Care notes for oakleaf hydrangea.
Full sun to part shade in average to moist, well-drained soils. Blooms on old wood. avoid hard pruning. Remove only dead wood in late winter. Tolerates some drought once established. May spread by suckers to form a colony; remove suckers if a single-stem form is preferred.
Pairs well with these.
Same light, same soil, same wildlife. Janet's picks to plant alongside oakleaf hydrangea.
Or skip the guesswork.
Curated packages bundle complementary species for an instant habitat. One reservation, one pickup day, a printed layout map.
Short on Space Package
For gardeners who have an abundance of passion but are short on space, this package features tidy, upright, clump-forming natives that behave and function well in small spaces.
Shade Bed Package
Ferns, sedges, and woodland natives that thrive under existing trees.
Birder’s Paradise Package
For the avid bird watchers and budding ornithologists in our community, the Birder’s Paradise Package consists of species that Hill House Nursery staff and longtime native plant advocates such as Doug Tallamy consider ‘premier bird garden plants’.