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Hydrangea quercifolia 'Snow Queen' (Oak-leaf Hydrangea) - This beautiful deciduous shrub with deeply lobed, oak-leaf-shaped, dark green leaves grows to 6 feet tall by 8 feet wide and provides a showy flower display in later spring to early summer and spectacular fall foliage, in colors ranging from orange to crimson and scarlet. The inflorescence is a 6- to 8-inch-tall conical cluster of white flowers - the cluster hold a combination of fertile and sterile flowers with a majority being the smaller sterile flowers that fade to pink and violet.
Performs best in dappled shade but grows in full sun (at least in coastal gardens) if adequate moisture is provided with a well-drained, acidic soil. And it is very cold hardy and planted in areas down to USDA Zone 5. We have our plants growing in the shade with only occasional irrigation in our garden. Prune as needed immediately after flowering (June-July) as new flowers are set on previous year's growth. Cut flowers work well in dried arrangements.
Hydrangea quercifolia is native throughout the southeast and the Mississippi River Valley and can grow as a multi-stemmed shrub to 8 feet tall. The name for the genus comes from the Greek word 'hydra' meaning "water" and 'angeon' meaning a "vessel" in reference to the shape of the seed pods and possibly also for the plant's general affinity for water. The specific epithet was given to this plant by the American botanist John Bartram and is derived from the words Quercus, the genus of the oaks and 'folium' meaning a "leaf" in obvious reference to the shapes of the leaves which are similar to some of the deeply lobes oak species.
Hydrangea quercifolia 'Snow Queen' was introduced as Hydrangea quercifolia 'Flemygea' and granted the now expired US Plant Patent PP4,458 in 1979. This award-winning selection of Hydrangea quercifolia was selected by William Flemer III of Princeton Nurseries in Princeton, New Jersey, for its flowers and compact habit. It also holds its exceptionally large flowers more upright than the species. In 2012 is was given the prestigious Royal Horticultural Societies Award of Garden Merit. We grew this attractive plant from 1999 until 2023, only discontinuing production as we began closing down our nursery.
The information displayed on this page about Hydrangea quercifolia 'Snow Queen' is based on our research conducted about this plant from books in our nursery library as well as from information that is provided by reliable online resources. We also have included our own observations made about it as it grew in the nursery gardens and other gardens visited, as well how the crops of this plant performed in the containers when we had them in our nursery field. We also include comments received from others and welcome hearing from anyone who has information about this plant, particularly if it includes cultural information aiding others to better grow it.
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