Oakleaf Hydrangea, the quintessential flowering shrub for the native garden, is a deciduous shrub native to our southeastern states with outstanding ornamental value. Its growth form is broad, rounded, with lower stems sweeping the ground; with beautiful exfoliating bark and bold, handsomely lobed, deep green leaves, holding aloft great pyramidal, fragrant flowerheads covered with creamy white showy sterile flowers and less apparent fertile flowers. The flowers persist through fall and into winter, slowly taking on shades of pink as the supporting leaves take on hues of wine, mahogany and orange. The flowers eventually dry to tan, in winter. On top of all this, the plant is easy to grow in slightly acid to circumneutral, organic soil and is happiest in part shade. Oakleaf Hydrangea is basically trouble free, needing only minor pruning of winter-damaged branches in spring. It sends up offspring nearby which are easily dug and shared with friends. There are a large number of cultivars in the trade, often of smaller stature and/or brighter pink, showier flowers, but it is the non-showy fertile flowers that pull in the buzzing insects.
