Hi everyone. I wanted to get everyone's opinion on which I should go with. On the edge of a wooded part of my property I want to plant a several tall Hydrangeas that will be behind some Azaleas. The Azaleas will get about 3-4 feet tall/wide and are about 2 feet right now. Behind them would be the Hydrangeas. The area gets some sun during the winter, but is more shady with filtered sun after all the trees leaf out. I was originally looking at the Oakleaf Hydrangeas but I am worried that they will not be tall enough. On a lot of the sites it says they get 4-6 feet tall and that wouldn't be much taller than the Azaleas when everything is full grown. The Limelight seems to get a lot larger and would stand out more behind the Azaleas, but I like the idea of the fall colors the Oakleaf would provide. The area in question is about 25 feet long. Sorry to be rambling and I hope I didn't confuse anyone. Decisions, decisions, decisions...
Oakleaf vs Limelight
Take a look at the ones in Plant Files--there are several listed that get 8-10 feet (although you might want to doublecheck the heights of particular cultivars with a few other sites, I've found that's one of the fields in PF that is sometimes off a little bit) http://davesgarden.com/guides/pf/adv_search.php?searcher%5Bcommon%5D=&searcher%5Bfamily%5D=&searcher%5Bgenus%5D=hydrangea&searcher%5Bspecies%5D=quercifolia&searcher%5Bcultivar%5D=&searcher%5Bhybridizer%5D=&search_prefs%5Bblank_cultivar%5D=&search_prefs%5Bsort_by%5D=rating&images_prefs=both&Search=Search
Thanks for the quick reply. When I checked with the Plant Files section and read some of the comments that's how I determined I wanted to go with the Oakleaf Hydrangea. When I checked with a local nursery around here though they said the Oakleaf Hydrangea only gets around 4-6 feet. They also looked it up in some book they have and confirmed the information. The plant label just said Hydrangea Quercifolia (Oakleaf Hydrangea) and didn't mention a cultivator. The nursery said it was just a regular Oakleaf Hydrangea and not a dwarf.
This is just so confusing to a newbie like me. It's definitely a learning experience. :-)
The one your nursery has is probably the straight species then and not a cultivar. There were a few named cultivars in PF that did say they got bigger than 4-6 ft. So I'd find some of the ones that PF specifically says will get taller than 6 ft and then look them up on a few other sites and see if everyone agrees. I don't grow the oak leaf ones at all so I don't know if the info in PF is accurate or not.
I have seen Oakleafs in our area that are definitely at least 6 feet, if not more, but I don't know the cultivar. Have you considered any other options? There are probably some taller Viburnums that can take filtered light, and still give you fall color and flowers. Another option might be some of the native hollies, planted in mass (Sparkleberry etc comes to mind). They will look beautful in winter and fall, and be a nice, leafy backdrop to the azaleas at other times, and being more tree-like, their shape would complement the rounded forms of the azaleas. I find alot of things that need sun in other locations are happy with filtered sun here in NC.....
Can I chime in - I am absolutely no expert on hydrangeas - even though I do have both types you mentioned. My oak leaf's are huge, but my limelights are only a couple of years old.
Check out this site - it may narrow some selections down for you . . .www.gardensoyvey.com
They are who I go to on all my hydrangea questions (local for me). If you type in hydrangea in the search field, you'll get 40+ varieties - including 8 of them being oak leafs.
Hope this is more helpful than confusing...
bonnie
Thanks for all the great information. It probably is better safe than sorry to spend a few extra bucks and get a specific cultivator that will grow taller if I end up staying with the Oakleafs. For this area I actually wanted something with summer/late summer blooms. If there was more light I'd plant some Crape Myrtles but I don't know how well they would perform in the filtered light during the summer. I love the Snowball Viburnum and the Sparkleberry holly looks like a great plant. I have gotten a lot of great ideas for other areas in my yard. Amazing how scope creep always takes hold when I work on my yard/gardens.
limelight will not bloom in the shade. oakleafs typically tolerate and bloom in some shade.
I like to put limelight in full sun.
Limelight will bloom in filtered shade. Even here in NY I have Limelight from full sun, to quite heavy shade. The bloom is less in heavy shade (not total shade of course), but in filtered shade it blooms wonderfully.
I've been growing and selling Limelight since Spring Meadows intro'd it, and I think it's one of the most versatile shrubs there is.
The oakleaf hydrangea would be wonderful for this application, also. Alice gets pretty tall, around 6-7 feet or so.
Have you considered H. Quercifolia 'Snowflake' and 'Snow Queen'? The first one has double flowers and the second one has singles. They grow large, 8' more or less. Note: all oakleafs require excellent draining soil!
There is no oakleaf as beautiful as the variety called Harmony. It has been described as a 12 inch pile of mashed potatoes. Unfortunately, it is difficult to find, but I think that Wilkerson Mill in Georgia has it. If I knew how to send pictures, I would send one of mine. I live in Mississippi in Zone 7b (but feels like 8 most of the time).
These Oakleaf are over my head and I am 5-7. By the end of the summer, they will be a foot higher than they are now.
