Silverleaf Hydrangea
Hydrangea radiata
Late-spring white lacecaps over leaves with shimmering silver undersides. A shade-garden secret that prefers dry shade under mature trees.
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
Beautiful silver-backed foliage and lacecap blooms make this one of the most refined native shrubs for dry shade gardens.
Silverleaf hydrangea is the shade-garden secret most gardeners have never heard of. Native to the southern Appalachians, it blooms in late spring with flat-topped white lacecap clusters, but turn a leaf over and you'll see the silver underside that gives this species its name. In a breeze, the foliage shimmers, which adds a layer of movement and texture that the more familiar Annabelle simply can't match. It fills a genuine niche: a flowering native shrub that actually prefers the drier, shadier conditions under mature trees where most plants struggle. Pollinators flock to the small fertile florets in the center of each flower cluster, and the dried seed heads provide winter structure long after the blooms fade.
A nursery-grown plant, ready for the ground.
Healthy, container-grown silverleaf 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.
- Sun
- Part shade
- Water
- Average
- Mature size
- 3–5 ft · 36–60 in wide
- Bloom time
- Late spring
- Bloom color
- White
- USDA zones
- 5–9
- Family
- Hydrangeaceae
- Native range
- Southern Appalachians (NC, SC, GA, TN)
Care notes for silverleaf hydrangea.
Part shade to full shade in average to moist, well-drained soils. More drought-tolerant than other hydrangeas once established. Prune lightly in late winter or early spring if needed. it blooms on old wood, so avoid heavy fall pruning. Deer will browse it occasionally but it recovers well.
Pairs well with these.
Same light, same soil, same wildlife. Janet's picks to plant alongside silverleaf 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’.