The oakleaf hydrangea is probably my favorite shrub. My parents got me one while we lived at the old house and I was hooked. I put it in a dry, shady spot where nothing else would grow and it seemed to double in size every year. It also provided multi-season interest: lush greenery in spring, flowers all summer, colorful foliage in fall, and exfoliating bark in winter. I loved it so much that I got two more...and with a couple of hostas and a handful of bulbs, a problem area became an attractive and low-maintenance bed.
The oakleaf hydrangea at the new house looks more like a tree than a shrub. It's quite tall (at least eight feet) and has a single trunk for at least three or four feet. I'm not sure if it was pruned that way, purchased that way, or if grazing deer had some hand in the matter. It's in the backyard, in the forest understory, between two viburnums. The only thing growing under it right now is vinca minor and a couple of columbine plants.
I've enjoyed watching the flowers change from cream, to red, to brown and I can't wait to see what the leaves look like as they turn.
Do you have a favorite shrub?
I don't have a favorite shrub, but I'm beginning to like the hydrangeas more and more. The garden I am planning for when I move has A LOT of shade, and I think hydrangeas will be a good fit :)
ReplyDelete@_emily_rose -- I've never grown any other type of hydrangea, but the oakleaf type is very easy and very low maintenance. I've been eyeing up some lacecap hydrangeas lately, but I'm afraid the deer might eat them.
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