Hydrangea quercifolia ’Alice’ is the most robust oakleaf we grow. A selection by Dr. Michael Dirr from a plant on the University of Georgia campus it has proven to be trouble free. Give it room as the original plant is 12 feet high and as wide. BIG! And ROBUST! It produces very large, slightly fragrant, creamy-white blooms in early summer that age to a fine rose color as the summer proceeds. Prefers a bit of shade around here but will do as well in full sun if need be. Easy to grow, native and splendid - just don’t crowd it. Deciduous. Zones 6 - 9.

The search for a pink oakleaf can be as troublesome as the search for a blue rose, but recently with Hydangea q. ’Amethyst’ the cause has been advanced. This compact oakleaf selection starts white but colors very quickly to a nice pink on a fairly short plant to about 6 feet high & 6 feet wide. Deciduous, best flower color in lots of sun but it sure appreciates some shade in the hot afternoon. Selected by plantsman, Dr. Michael Dirr. Please see also H. q. ’Ruby Slippers’ for a shorter selection of our native oakleaf that pinks very well in late season. Zones 6-9.

A Yankee from New Jersey, ’Snow Queen’ produces large panicles of pure white held above the foliage. If you are looking for a larger oakleaf that won’t spill out into paths, walkways or patios she will fill the bill. Confused about the difference between ’Snow Queen’ and ’Snowflake’? ’Snow Queen’ is the regal one, with upright bearing and head held high. Queenly indeed. Originally introduced by Princeton Nurseries in 1979. Zones 5-9. 6’ x 6’. Some images courtesy of Raulston Arboretum.

Alabama oakleafs. We are blessed. Let us plant. This is another discovery from the sand hills area of Alabama and one of the smallest of the native oakleaf hydrangeas that we know. Hydrangea quercifolia ’Pee Wee’ grows to about 4’ with a wider spread. The bloom is a cone of white flowers, the sepals periwinkle like. Tardily deciduous with deep red fall foliage if grown in enough sun. Early season, sun to bright shade. Zones 6-9.

There is no other oakleaf like Hydrangea quercifolia ’Snowflake’. Period. Line up the lot and look closely at them in bloom. It’s obvious (and we grow the best of the rest). The multiple bracts of this sterile form give the appearance of double flowers that continue to open at the base, ever elongating the dramatic flower head. Blooms can reach 12-15". Happiest in part shade in the South. It’s a native plant if that tickles your tummy! Early summer bloom for us in GA. These are absolutely the real plant, our first cuttings came from the original stock block at Snowflake Nursery near Boaz, AL (Thanks to the Aldridges!) and now from the 40 or so stock plants planted in our gardens around the nursery. This is our largest selling plant and no matter how many we grow it’s never enough. Mature height 7’ with width the same. Zones 6-9.

Hydrangea quercifolia ’Wade Mahlke’ is often referred to as "Emerald Lake" as it was introduced by Mr. Mahlke who lives on Emerald Lake in AL. I believe we first got it via plantsman, Hayes Jackson, but if so we killed that one. In 2004 we took cuttings of it at the Atlanta Botanical Gardens which had it tagged as "Emerald Lake." It’s a mostly sterile form like ’Harmony’, ’Roanoke’ or ’Vaughn’s Lillie’. Height to 7 feet and as wide. Zones 6 - 9.