To ask which of my plants is my favorite is like asking which of my children is my fave! A difficult topic to answer, but since I’m not in danger of hurting sensitive young egos, I’d have to say the oakleaf hydrangea is one of my favorites (Hydrangea quercifolia). The reason for this is that this is a plant that has four distinct seasons of appeal. That appeals to me since it saves me time, energy, and money. It rewards me in the spring, summer, fall, and winter once it has established.
Hydrangea quercifolia is a shrub that grows to be around six to eight feet tall, with a maximum height of ten to twelve feet. The huge, dark green leaves have silvery undersides and resemble the Northern Red Oak, from which it receives its popular name. It can be grown in zones 5 through 9.
Cone-shaped flowers can grow up to a foot in length. The blossoms start out white, then acquire a pink blush before turning red as the seasons pass. Single or double florets might be found.
Although the spring and summer are lovely and lush, I am looking forward to the warm days and cool nights of October and November, when the flowers change red and the foliage takes on a variety of yellow, orange, red, brown, and burgundy hues. In protected areas, the leaves last for a long time before falling to reveal an uneven branching structure of cinnamon-colored peeling bark. The contrast against a snowy white bedspread is breathtaking.
Oakleaf hydrangeas thrive in hotter climates, but they like some afternoon shade. It can be grown in full sun in its northern range. The more sun exposure you get, the more flowers you’ll receive, and the more stunning the fall color will be.
This shrub can survive drier soil than its mophead relatives, but not wet feet. Plant it in acidic, wet, well-drained soil supplemented with compost or other organic matter. It can be used as a specimen feature in the landscape or as a mass planting in shaded wooded regions.
Pruning is rarely essential, although it should be done after the flowers have faded and before August. Late summer and early fall are the best times to plant flower buds for the next year. By simply snipping off old flowers, you can “deadhead” them at any time. I like to leave the blossoms on the plant throughout the winter months so that I may enjoy them.
You can cut longer stems for flower arrangements before August if you’re cutting blossoms for arrangements. After that, only remove short stems to avoid losing next year’s blooms.
Oakleaf hydrangeas are generally pest and disease free. This is another bonus in my eyes because it means that plants will look and perform their best all year long without the need of chemicals (always a last resort in my book).
The double flowered variety ‘Snowflake’ is arguably the most popular. Its creamy white blossoms can reach a length of a foot.
In the spring, the foliage of ‘Little Honey’ turns golden, then chartreuse, then green, with a gorgeous burgundy red fall color.
Oakleaf hydrangeas are a perennial favorite in my yard. They’re lovely all year with stunning leaves, exquisite flowers, and fascinating bark, and they’re hardy in many regions of the country. They’re pest and disease resistant, bloom in the shade, and are very little maintenance. What more could we expect of a plant for our landscapes and gardens?
Should I cut off dead hydrangea blooms?
To maintain your hydrangeas looking their best and encourage fresh flower growth, deadhead them throughout the flowering season.
In the mid- to late-fall, however, stop deadheading hydrangea shrubs and let any spent blooms in place. This not only adds winter interest, but it also ensures that the buds that will become blossoms next spring are not removed.
How do I get more blooms on my oakleaf hydrangea?
Oakleaf hydrangeas are low-maintenance plants that only require the following:
- Site and sunlight – Oakleaf hydrangeas thrive in broad sun to moderate shade in northern climates. Give them morning sun and protection from powerful afternoon rays in southern zones.
- Rich, well-drained, somewhat acidic soil is ideal for oakleaf. Take the time to amend your soil around planting time if you live in a region with a lot of clay. Pennington Acts Quickly Gypsum aids in water penetration and drainage, as well as loosening compacted soil and encouraging proper root growth. Pennington UltraGreen Plant Starter with Vitamin B1 also aids in the reduction of transplant shock.
- Water – Oakleaf hydrangeas thrive in soil that is evenly moist but never saturated. Thoroughly water the soil, then check it by hand before watering again. Avoid overwatering to avoid root rot. Wait a few days if the soil is damp before checking again.
- Fertilizer At planting time, use a complete fertilizer like Pennington UltraGreen All Purpose Plant Food 10-10-10 to provide your hydrangeas with the nutrition they require. Each year, feed your oakleaf with the same fertilizer or a flower-enhancing fertilizer like Pennington UltraGreen Color Blooms & Bulbs Plant Food 15-10-10 in early spring. Then, four months later, in mid-summer, feed it again.
What month do you deadhead hydrangeas?
These are macrophylla hydrangeas (also known as mophead and lacecap) in purple, pink, and blue, as well as hydrangeas with oak-shaped leaves. Some cultivars only bloom once a year on last year’s stems (old wood), while reblooming variants bloom twice on new wood.
When the first set of blooms on your hydrangeas starts to turn brown and dry, it’s time to deadhead. Cut the stem slightly above the first set of leaves, below the flower head. You can deadhead again when the second set fades, but only until mid-August or so for reblooming kinds. After that, your hydrangeas will form buds for next year’s flowers, which you don’t want to chop off by accident. Dried flower heads left on the shrubs after the summer has passed might provide aesthetic appeal during the winter months.
Do oakleaf hydrangeas need pruning?
Soil Oakleaf hydrangea grows best in moist, organic, fertile, well-drained, slightly acidic soil with a pH of 5.06.5. It is drought resilient once planted, but it does benefit from water in extremely dry conditions. It’s critical to have good drainage. Although the plant prefers damp soil, wet feet are not an option.
Full to moderate shade is fine for this shrub.
It does, however, perform better when exposed to the sun for at least a full day or more, resulting in a richer floral show, stronger stems, and more beautiful autumn foliage.
Some cultivars can tolerate a more sunny location. On the other hand, heavy shadow produces fewer blossoms but larger leaves.
Trimming – Oakleaf hydrangeas require very little pruning, if any at all.
If pruning is required to shape or reduce the size of the shrub, do so soon after the flowers have faded.
Late in the summer, this shrub produces bloom buds for the next year.
To put it another way, it grows on ancient wood.
Pruning at any other time of year will result in the loss of the blossoms for the next year.
Insects This plant is rarely bothered by insects, with the exception of spider mites and aphids.
Deer will nibble on this plant, especially the sensitive, new spring foliage, so use a deer repellent or a physical barrier to protect it.
Propagation – Stem cuttings can be used to propagate the plant. The plant can also be propagated by layering because the branches are low to the ground.
When used as a solitary specimen, a backdrop to smaller shrubs, bulbs, or perennials, a component of a mixed border, a deciduous hedge, or a mass planting, oakleaf hydrangea is a powerful yet elegant shrub.
If oakleaf hydrangeas have a flaw, it’s that their enormous, coarsely textured foliage might be intimidating to a novice gardener. Rest confident that the foliage mixes in beautifully with plants with smaller leaves. Evergreens, for example, with their finer needles and scaly branches, provide a nice contrast. Boxwoods’ more formal round shape and compact, thick leaves contrast nicely with the looser appearance of oakleaf hydrangea. Oakleaf hydrangeas pair well with taller ferns like ostrich or cinnamon ferns, as well as shorter grass-like plants like liriope.
Easy-care The oakleaf hydrangea is particularly beneficial in the landscape because it provides year-round interest. It makes an immediate impact in the spring when its bold, beautiful leaf emerges. In the summer, the dark green foliage contrasts with the huge, long-lasting clusters of creamy white or pink blooms. Many cultivars mature to a medium pink or deep rose color over time. With its rich, deep burgundy/purple foliage that lasts all winter, the oakleaf hydrangea really shines in the fall. Additional interest is provided by the dried tan or light brown flower heads. The flaking tan bark adds a tactile aspect to the white environment in the winter.
An Illustrated Encyclopedia of Hardy Trees and Shrubs by Dirr (Dirr, Michael A., 1997)
“Selection, Pruning, and Care of Hydrangea,” (ext.vt.edu/chesapeake/programs/anr/Pruning) Virginia Cooperative Extension Publication
“Problem-Free Shrubs for Virginia Landscapes,” according to the author. 450-236 (ext.vt.edu/450/450-236/) is a Virginia Cooperative Extension publication.
HORT-84P (ext.vt.edu/HORT/HORT-84/), “Selecting Plants for Virginia Landscapes: Showy Flowering Shrubs,” Virginia Cooperative Extension Publication HORT-84P (ext.vt.edu/HORT/HORT-84/), “Selecting Plants for Virginia Landscapes: Showy Flowering Shrubs,” Virginia Cooperative Extension Publication HORT-84P (
Hydrangea quercifolia, University of Connecticut College of Agriculture, Health and Natural Resources Plant Database (hort.uconn.edu)
Cooperative Extension of North Carolina State University (plants.ces.ncsu.edu/plants/all/hydrangea-spp)
Hydrangea Production at Tennessee State University (tnstate.edu/faculty/ablalock/documents/Hydrangea)
Will hydrangeas rebloom if deadheaded?
There are things you can control and things you can’t control in this world. You can manage how many blooms hydrangeas produce, their size, their health, and even their bloom color in some situations. How to induce them to rebloom is one of the big questions. Will deadheaded hydrangeas blossom again? Should you provide them with more food?
Many blooming plants benefit from deadheading. It frequently encourages another bloom cycle and undoubtedly improves the aesthetic of the plant. It’s a straightforward procedure that involves returning the spent bloom, as well as any stalks, to the next growing node. The growthnode of some plants will produce more flowers in the same year. The node of other plants does not swell until the next year. Hydrangeas are an example of this.
They won’t rebloom, but deadheading will clean up the plant and make room for new flowers the next year.
Do oakleaf hydrangeas rebloom?
Growing oakleaf hydrangeas should not be difficult if you planted your hydrangea appropriately. These drought-tolerant native shrubs are completely disease- and pest-free once established.
According to oakleaf hydrangea information, the plants can reach a height of 10 feet (3 meters) and a spread of 8 feet (2 meters). If you haven’t given the hydrangeas enough room to grow to their full potential, you may need to start pruning them to keep them small enough for the space.
Oakleaf hydrangeas can be pruned to help them grow into a full shrub. If you want to do this, pinch back new growth or cut previous growth. Don’t prune these bushes before they bloom because they blossom on the previous year’s growth. This allows them to develop new buds, which will blossom the following summer.
Will a dead hydrangea come back?
Hydrangeas (Hydrangea spp.) are luxuriant blue, pink, or white hydrangeas (Hydrangea spp.) that bloom reliably with little danger of pests, disease, or cold in mild regions. Hydrangeas die back every winter in regions where temperatures stay below freezing for long periods of time, leaving a mound of dead stems to clip away in the spring. Even in mild winter climates, a strong freeze can damage sensitive new growth and even long-lived stems on hydrangeas. Pruning out dead wood and stems may not even delay a hydrangea’s summer bloom, depending on the bloom cycle of your plant (some hydrangeas bloom on new wood, some on old).
Should you deadhead Endless summer hydrangeas?
‘Endless Summer’ hydrangeas are the first to bloom on new growth and have the ability to rebloom throughout the summer. This one-of-a-kind plant will want one-of-a-kind care.
Follow these guidelines to ensure that ‘Endless Summer’ remains the center of attention in your yard for many years to come if you’ve introduced one of these wonderful plants to your landscaping.
The following steps should be taken to ensure overwintering success in the first year:
- To acclimatize the plant for the winter, stop applying fertilizer after August 15th.
- Apply a four-inch layer of organic mulch to the plant (wood mulch, leaves, etc.). There’s no need to cut back or cover all stems to the tip.
Covering should be done when the plants are entirely dormant (about November 30th) or when you cover perennials in your garden.
- When the ground is no longer frozen in the spring, expose your perennials. The plant will sprout from the plant’s base as well as any old branches that survived the winter.
- Patience is required. The plant will develop slowly until the late spring heat spurs it to grow quicker.
- Once you observe new green growth, prune the old branches back to a finger width above the new growth.
- Sit back and watch your plant grow and blossom, which should happen around the middle of July, depending on your climate.
Endless Summer Hydrangea is a very forgiving plant that will not suffer if left unpruned or pruned incorrectly. Young, newly planted plants, in particular, should be left alone. Your Endless Summer, unlike other hydrangeas, will bloom on both old and new wood (branches that grew last year and new branches from this year).
Another distinctive trait of this hydrangea is that it will continue to set buds and bloom throughout the season if the spent blooms are deadheaded. You can clip the blooms for drying or using them fresh in vases because this will encourage the plant to produce additional blossoms. Pruning is best done in the spring.
Do coffee grounds make hydrangeas blue?
Only a few hydrangea species, mostly those related to H. macrophylla or H. serrata, can change their flower color. The hue of flowers is assumed to be connected to the pH of the soil. According to Michael Dirr in his book Hydrangeas for American Gardens, the color is influenced by the amount of aluminum a plant can access in the soil, which is determined by pH and phosphorus levels.
Aluminum is soluble and absorbed by plants at a lower pH (unless phosphorus levels are high), and the flowers tend to be blue. A higher pH locks up the metal, resulting in pink blooms. When blossoms initially open, they have shades of cream to green, and the tones might alter as the flowers age.
- Add aluminum sulfate to the soil and maintain low phosphorus, moderate nitrogen, and high potassium levels to make sepals bluer.
- To make sepals pinker, add garden lime to the soil and maintain high nitrogen and low phosphorus levels.
- This should be done in late autumn or early spring, well before flowering.
Can coffee grounds be used to change the color of hydrangeas?
Some gardeners claim that adding coffee grounds to the soil would colour their hydrangeas blue. The coffee grounds raise the acidity of the soil, making it easier for the hydrangea to absorb metal. Fruit peels, yard clippings, peat moss, and pine needles are also supposed to have the same effect.
Can eggshells be used to change the color of hydrangeas?
If you’re looking for pink hydrangeas, crushed eggshells could be a good option. Eggshells will gradually decompose, lowering the acidity of your soil and making it more difficult for hydrangeas to absorb metal.
How do I make blue hydrangeas with vinegar?
To adjust the acidity of their soil and colour their hydrangeas blue, many gardeners add vinegar to their watering can. However, you’ll probably get greater results if you use Hydrangea Blue, a blue-flowering liquid fertilizer.