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Oakleaf Hydrangea Snow Queen in SF Bay Area Zone 9

18 years ago

I could swear I've seen these growing well here in Menlo Park, CA. However the catalogs and plant guides advertise them as for planting to Zone 8 only.

Any experience or advice greatfully accepted and appreciated.

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Comments (4)

gardengal48 (PNW Z8/9)
18 years ago
I'm pretty sure yellowgirl has them growing in her zone 9 Florida garden - perhaps she will chime in with any growing issues she may have with them. They are perhaps the most drought tolerant of the hydrangea species (and also quite sun tolerant), but I'd make sure they were planted in well enriched, moisture retentive soil and water them well in summer - west coast summers can be awfully dry.
yellowgirl
18 years ago
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
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I'm in zone 5b/6, and my oakleafs perform beautifully. They are planted in a shady area on the south side of the house, so are protected from the winds from the north in the winter, though they do catch some wind from the west. It was not easy to get them established in this particular spot, and I had a fair amount of die-back the first two seasons, even though I protected them with burlap screens. I'm not sure if it was because of the not-so-great soil (which has improved quite a bit over the years) or because they are "tricky" to get established here (that's what I've heard, but not sure if that's actually true, though). In any case, I no longer protect them and don't have to water them as much, and they are gorgeous, just gorgeous! They suffer very little die-back now, but they are now mature/established. I have noticed that the two bushes that catch more sun out of the five in that grouping do produce more flowers and have better fall coloring - a beautiful rich red (the other three in less sun turn an "eh" deeper burgundy color) and are a little lusher in terms of foliage. Even if they never threw a flower, I would still grow them for the outstanding foliage effect. :0) I recently purchased a couple Pee Wee dwarf oakleafs, and I plan on protecting them over winter because they are right next to the driveway, and I'm afraid the snow throwing will crack the branches - mature oakleaf branches are rather brittle and can break easily, just bumping into a branch the wrong way sometimes causes a branch to snap, so dumping snow on them will more than likely wreck them (not because of me, but because DH pays no attention to much of anything let alone aiming the output of the blower away from the bushes....)
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bamabob
18 years ago
YellowGirl, If you can grow Snow Queen, Alice and the species (native) Oak Leaf Hydrangea you should also be able to grow Snowflake and Harmony Oak Leafs. I believe they have the prettiest blooms of all the oak leaf hydrangeas. Both have only sterile flowers so the blooms last a little longer too.
yellowgirl
18 years ago
Great suggestions Bamabob but the reason I don't grow those types is just a matter of personal taste. I think that while very beautiful, the blooms look a little overpowering and out of scale for my SMALL suburban yard. To me they would look much better with the room to be the center of attention as opposed to being relegated to the background. SnowQueen is tidier and a bit more delicate looking I think. Easier to squeeze back in a corner or in the back of a planting bed, etc. Gotta work with what you have (or don't have).
Now, if I had a much larger yard,(say in Alabama) I'd grow every hydrangea I could get my hands on!!........yg

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