Hi Mmedici, Funny you should say that. Most nursery sites that I've seen rate them as hardy in zones 5 - 9...I have SnowQueen, Alice and the species Quercifolia. (still waiting for Little Honey) So far, they all seem happy & healthy. Oakleafs are probably my favorite hydrangea and SnowQueen is my favorite Oakleaf (so far). I like the more upright form and the mix of orange, red and burgandy fall color. A bonus of zone 9 is that short of extraodinary weather/exposure conditions, a good deal of the leaves hang on until new ones replace them in Spring, so it's not necessarily deciduous down here. I gather from reading other posts from CA, that your zone 9 is not necessarily the same as my FL zone 9. I think CA zone 9 is cooler and less humid than FL, so you should be able to grow them beautifully providing you have a good hot summer. Another thing to consider is, some sites will say that they can tolorate 'full sun' and maybe they can up north but I would never even consider planting them in full sun down here. Gardengal is right about their water requirements too. The Oakleafs are my only hydrangeas that don't keep me constantly running around with a hose!! (after they are established) All they ask is very good drainage. They require considerably little effort for such a huge return. Another reason why they are my favs....Plant away, you have everything to gain....yg

It is cercospora and very common on oakleafs, especially when grouped tightly together like at the nursery. Not harmful, just unattractive. Good air circulation and an occassional spray of Immunnox minimizes the condition. Bayer also makes a systemic product. New leaves will come out clean so prevention is key. If there aren't too many, I pick off the spotted leaves. If the whole plant is covered, might as well wait until next season and try to head it off at the pass. I have one SnowQueen that has almost flawless leaves, an Alice with about 1/8 of the leaves spotted, and three species quercifolia, one in great shape and the other two that came from the nursery this year that are covered with it. The longer the leaves are on the plant, the further it progresses. By Fall when the leaves turn, it will just blend in / be part of the normal color change. If the plant looks otherwise healthy, don't let the spots deter you from buying it. SnowQueen (my favorite) will make an elegant shrub and I think you will not regret buying it......yg

I wouldn't cut them back. I would either protect them or move them temporarily, as mentioned in the above post. The cardboard box is a good idea, but perhaps a little flimsy, older oakleaf branches are pretty brittle and seem to snap off at any provocation. Depending on how big the bushes are, you may be able to find some really large cheapie plastic planters this time of year quite inexpensively, you can plop the pots on top of the bush (tie up the branches gently to get it to fit width-wise) and put a brick on top so it holds. If the bushes are too large/tall for that, make some contraption out of chicken wire or similar fencing, and put a large cardboard box over the top of that - the fencing should hold back any falling/flying debris, and shouldn't cost much. Or you could just move them temporarily, although personally I'd figure out a way to protect them as opposed to moving them, but re-location is definitely an option (and won't cost anything). Good luck!

We broke our records too although I would not have minded giving some of the water to California. We got such a pounding of rain in earlier months that I finally turned 'on' the sprinkler last weekend but... it is raining again today so I guess I could have put it off a week or so. Lakes in my area are still "overflowed" from rain further north but "local rivers" are down to near normal.