PlantFiles: Oakleaf Hydrangea
Hydrangea quercifolia 'Alice'

Great plant... treasured by deer & rabbits alike... It has suffered some damage, but isn't deterred by it! I now have the bush covered by netting, which I adjust as the foliage/flowers grow, but definitely worth keeping in the garden.

I ordered Alice 3 years ago, & she has grown pretty fast - she's now 5-6 feet tall & wide. I wouldn't prune at all, certainly not in winter or spring. I can see the flower buds forming already this year (mid-March).

My oakleaf hydrangeas are more beautiful each year and with no maintenance. I have also seen the websites that say to cut to the ground in early spring. I can't imagine why one would do that! They bloom on old wood, but also retain an attractive shape and size. If necessary, I might prune lightly after blooming, but there's been no need.

This plant is interesting yearround and a great addition to my garden. .

I love this beautiful plant! It grow well and produces many blooms. The only issue I have is the description tag it came with said to "prune to ground in early spring", and some web sites say the same thing. However, other web sites say that it blooms on old wood, which is how it appears to me, and those web sites say to prune before August before the new buds form for the next spring flowering.

Information from both "Hydrangeas for American Gardens," by Michael A. Dirr (2004) and "Encyclopedia of Hydrangeas" C.J. and D.M. Van Gelderen (2004 - Timber Press).

A large shrub up to 10', robust and mounding. The leaves deeply lobed with usually a brilliant autumn color.. Flowers in large panicles, creamy white and turning to rose-pink with age. The ray-flowers are scattered all over the panicles. Sepals can be almost halfdollar-size, and cover the fertile flowers. Can be grown in containers, and is more sun tolerant than others.

Selected by Michael A. Dirr from a seedling plant on the Georgia campus and named after former Georgia horticulture student and research technician Alice Richards.