Since this question has been hanging around a while I'll take a stab at it. I saw an unmarked quercifolia at an arboretum (young plant) and it had similar flowers. I would guess that it was Vaughn's Lillie since the flower is unique. The flowers were slightly smaller than Monrovia's site. The coloration probably depends on the plant not getting really dry after flowering as well as some shade to keep the flowers from frying. Just remember that marketing almost always out does reality to some extent.

Ernie

I found it to be very healthy and it is growing quickly. The blooms (2) were huge for the size of the plant.

Next year it should be even better.

Doug

Here is a link that might be useful: online source

Thanks for your answers about this oakleaf. I had decided to wait until spring to order one of these as they are not in the local nurseries or HD or Lowes. My thinking was to let some nursery baby it through winter and me start out with one in the spring. Then Friday I stopped by a local farm supply/nursery store to buy a few violas and just thought I'd wander through their marked down plants. There were several snow queens that were a little tattered looking but not bad and then sitting all by itself in a group of not-hydrangeas was a three gallon oakleaf with breathtaking fall color. The plant looks to have been cut back to about knee high a few months ago and a few new fresh and some fully developed leaves had come out along the areas of cut back. I took a look at the tag and almost fell over....it was a vaughn's lillie for $10, marked down from $39.95. I kept looking around afraid someone would come grab it away from me and tell me it was a mistake. I am sooooo happy. Now to hopefully winter it successfully and have a few lovely blooms next year!! If only I could have this kind of luck with a harmony...my next oakleaf to add to my collection. What an addiction this is, but how much fun!

Hi (Doug) Iowa jade z5a - I've been hoping to run into a Hydrangea aficionado from IA (z4a-5b) - do you have any other experiences with H quercifolia & H serrata? I'm interested on your successful overwintering method, if you would kindly share in this thread.

I'm just 30mi so of z5a and will benefit from your overwintering successes.

Many thanks -
ditas

Mine is not a Lillie, but a Dwarf Oakleaf, supposed to stay under 6ft. I found in 3 years, that it needs a bit of winter protection for the buds, which bloom on old wood. If plant has been trimmed back, you probably won't get any bloom next spring. If the buds get windburn or late Spring frost, you won't get any bloom next year.

It got more sticks each Spring but no flowers. After two springs of no-bloom, I decided to put some winter wind protection around my Oakleaf. It is located in the front yard, exposed to a pretty steady winter wind. I put up a little garden fence of bamboo sticks around the bush and anchored an old clear, plastic shower curtain around the plant on the sticks. Plant continued to get good light, not hot with open top. Just better windproofed. I don't use the burlap, want more light on my plant.

The plastic seemed to do the trick, I had good buds in fall, expanded in Spring and bloomed this year. I did not take the plastic down until late because we were so cold late into May, still seeing frost daily.

I really enjoy this little plant, but thought I should mention it is a bit of extra work to get the flowers. Fall color is very nice, and I love the leaf shapes in summer green. Quite the nice addition to a garden and also on sale!

Enjoy your bargin but don't be surprised if you have no flowers next Spring. I am sure it will do well the 2nd Spring for you!

Hi Goodhors - Thank you for your very encouraging feedback on Oakleaf H care - I'm thinking of one for Spring planting. How much sun exposure does she normally get through the growing seasons? Did you not mulch her at all with leaves inside the plastic cage you created?

Will appreciate your response!

Mine gets about 3-4 hours of good sun in the later afternoon during summers. Oakleaf is on the Northwest side of house corner, so sun has to get up and over before light actually hits it. Then the sun is behind the trees on the west side of yard. Spring, Fall, Winters it gets less or no direct sun at all. The shaded light is pretty bright most of the time, just not direct sun.

Oakleaf does have a good leaf mulch over the roots in the cage, piled up to the first lower layer of leaves on sticks. I have a leaf shredder, so this mulch is a dense pile of Oak tree leaf pieces a couple inches thick, but only on the ground. I don't fill the cage with leaves or shreds. Shredded wood mulch would also work well.

With our winters USUALLY starting late, early Dec, the soft tips of sticks stay greenish, making food and there is underground root growth even with leaves gone. This would be why I want whatever light is available to reach the plant to feed it.

Many thanks again for your thoughts and tips on Oakleaf H care, I need all the info and help from all of you, experienced H lovers! I just got bitten by the Hydrangea bug last year and have started planting a few since. My son has an Oakleaf among other in his E facing wooded garden but he lives in NC, where protection is needed more from their mid-summer sun - I simply fell for the thickness of the oak-form foliage and of course the beauty of the redish mahogany wood. I saw it in late Sept into early Oct ... foliage has not turned to their color show yet when we left ... I guess I'll have to content myself with photos he will send.

Thank you again!

Thanks for all the follow up on this question. I decided to wait until Spring to find one of these oakleaf hydrangeas. How exciting to have found one for $10. Maybe I'll be lucky to find one healthy and reasonably priced. I too want to get a harmony. I really like the looks of this oakleaf. I'm also quite facinated by the story concerning the discovery of the harmony oakleaf.

Harmony at Rare Find Nursery. Can't believe I passed this one up when I was there.

Here is a link that might be useful: Pics of Harmony at Rare Find

Sorry, it has been a while since I visited this website. This is the first year I have grown Vaughn's Lillie and Blushing Bride. Iowa's winters are hard on plants. I just mounded them up with some shredded oak leaves this year. We will see what happens next Spring.

The burgundy colored fall leaves on Vaughn's Lillie was outstanding. The bark is interesting also. My only concern is that the blooms are so huge that I hope the mature plant will be pleasing as a whole.

As my Climbing Hydrangea did not bloom last year but did the year before that, I sprayed the hydrangeas along with the Rhodes with Wilt Pruf. I do not know if it will make any difference.

The oak leaf that we ignore at church we do not winter protect, just prune it back from time to time.

Good luck with your posies.

Hi Iowa_Jade - I hope you'll soon find the time to check in on this thread as I'm counting on reading & exchanging observations on Hydrangeas (your Vaughn's Lillie and Petiolaris). I planted a Petiolaris last Fall with hopes that she will eventually cover up a 36ft wide x 3+ft high retaining wall. The unseasonably warm & sunny start of Spring woke up the sleeping beauties (I have several others) and eagerly sprouted out without any cares the 'never-fail-late frost' that lurks around in IA!

I'm contemplating on an Oak Leaf for this year and am looking for experienced aficionados in my plant z5 area for support on my whim. My son in NC has such a beauty in his collection that I drool over!

Hope to see your response soon.
Happy SPRING everyone!!!

VLOH was too big (I didn't use a cage to hold the oak leaves) and basically came through with no protection and looks fine. BB looks good below the oak leaf mulch line.

Some waaabits chewed on the base of my climbing hydrangea but it is starting to leaf out anyways. We are supposed to be freezy bird here for the next few nights so I may cover with some fleece if the wind dies down and I get ambitious (neither are likely prospects, but we will see.)

It has been FUN to get outside and play in the mud again.

Toodles!

Appreciate very much your unexpected response today Iowa Jade!

I'm glad that I got a chance to fluff up the leaf mulch in the encaged (marginally-bloom-tender) Hydrangeas I planted last season and hope the little leaf buds survive this cold spell - the brrrrrr strong winds collapsed all the early blooming bulbs out there. I'll have to cover the Petiolaris I'm glad you mentioned - didn't even think of her. This overnight freeze will be here a while, I guess.

I''m curious about your VLOH - have you had it long what kind of Winter protection have you done in the early years? I understand that OL in general are not fussy and tolerate dryer situations. The site I have prepared for yet another H (will allow a 6-8ft bush) will only receive 4hrs of AM sun except in early Spring while the trees around are still bare. I'll wait a while as I consider others (Lime Light??) ... I just like the idea of the Autumn color in that spot.

Thanks again IA Jade.

Ditas - my OH is on the NE corner of the house and probably gets less than 4 hrs of sun in summer and it blooms well (when it has not been broken!). I have "Snow Queen." I prefer the single flowers as they do not weigh down the branches. It also colors up well in Fall. I've had it over 10 years, and it is not yet 5 ft tall, but I have had breakage problems (from clumsy oafs and careless children). It got about 4 ft tall before the break this winter.

Hi Entling - Welcome to this thread - so glad to read a response from another enthusiast in the z5 area!

Your Oakleaf is 10y/o and has kept small huh? I won't mind at all a slow or small growing OH. as long as they bloom reliably. I am thinking of digging up some of my Hostas ('have so many) on the North side of my home to replace with z5 hardy, shade tolerant Hydrangeas. I was just reading about SQ, Alice and a dwarf "Sikes", oakleaf H - as you say, their single blooms wont weigh down their branches. From your experience over the years - have you not needed to give serious overwintering protection to your OH? What other H bushes have you found success with? I have some lacecaps that I was told are marginally, bloom-tender for our z5, 'wonder if you have any?

Appreciate your response and glad you joined in!

I'm reporting on my Vaughn's Lillie O.H. I decided to keep the plant I bought at the end of the season (Nov) last year in it's pot. As I stated in my original post, it had been cut back a lot and only had a few wonderful brightly colored leaves. I placed the Vaughn's Lillie, along with a couple of small Alice and Snow Queen O.H. I also bought into a block storage building during the winter(no heat but doesn't freeze inside either) . The building has a door with a window in it so there was some light for the plants. They started leafing out a few weeks back just before the weekend freeze we had. I had almost planted them the week before the freeze because it had been so warm. . . . thank goodness I didn't. Anyway all the plants look wonderful now and are covered with bloom buds, including the Vaughn's Lillie. I was so afraid I would not have blooms on it this year because it had been cut back so much, but wow am I impressed. Can't wait to enjoy the blooms!

Thanks ditas! I have never given my OH winter protection. Of course that may be why 1 year I had only a few blooms! :) Most years it blooms fine. I also have 1 Endless Summer (it's the law) and 1 Penny Mac H.macrophylla. I can't seem to get them very big because they don't get enough moisture, but they do bloom fairly well. I keep them in shredded leaves surrounded by chicken wire for the winter, and I did such a good job this year that they had lots of plump buds when I uncovered them and removed the mulch when it got hot. OOPS! They lost about 1/2 of those buds, so I guess I'll just have to wait a bit longer for them to bloom. They both bloom on new wood, so technically I don't have to cover them, but if any buds get through the winter, they'll bloom on both the old and new wood.

Hi Mohicansong - you must not have been hit by the lashes of 'Ma Nature' these past couple of weeks and with your (z7) few notches above our z5 you are now close to enjoying your OH's blooms! We'll have to be patient a little while longer now that our early starting buds were damaged by the 2 weeks of sub-freezing overnight temps, a few blustery days & some snow too. Are all 3 of your OH in pots still? I'm considering 'Aice' for this year's treat - 'wish I can be as fortunate finding a great deal as you did with your VL!

Hi Entling - thanks for the feedback! I planted 4 Lacecaps last season and 1 Little Elf that needed wire cages, burlap jackets and woodchip mulch + leaf blankets over (whew!) not to mention, the even more serious over-wintering efforts I did for my 16y/o Nikko. This is the reason I'm asking about the hardiness of Oakleaf H - I'm not sure that I want to plant another that will require winter cuddling, considering her potential size in a few years.

I guess we'll wait & see how these past blustery weeks will affect their ability to bloom this season, huh?

Thanks again :-))

Hi ditas, Unfortunately for us, we did have the deep freeze here for several days, followed by a rainy, icy few days, then back to the deep freeze (20-26 degrees, but certainly not as cold as zone 5). That's why I was so glad I had not planted my Oaks in the ground when we were having really warm weather, 70-82 degrees just before the freeze started. Yes, I left the oaks in pots and so glad I did or I would have no blooms this summer. The bloom buds are thumb nail size to about twice that size in just a matter of a week or so. I am so excited to see the VL bloom. The Vaughn's Lillie has at least six buds, maybe more. I am so surprised that it even considered blooming more than one or none this year. I do love the photos I have seen and plan to get a Harmony this year also. I really like the Alice and Snow Queen. I want a Snowflake too, but will concentrate on that next year. The Harmony is my next one for sure!!

Good AM OH enthusiasts - hoping to revive this thread after a spell and eager to hear how all the newly planted OHs did this past season! After a couple of wonderful last weeks, we got blasted yesterday brrrrrrr!!!

How amazing Alice OH is - overnite she slipped into her Fall-burgundy outfit <:- yes alice was the only available oh around my area. she didn bloom for me but grew beautifully ... wish i planted her a bit closer up to enjoy foliage of different colors as gained hgt wdth now in burgundy be big girl so had where can look stunning ego few years hope wait while>I've opened up the site to allow a bit more sun, she may bloom next season ... will give her a bit of protection while still manageable - she was in a 3.75gal pot w/ nice thick dark woods when I brought her home last Jun.

'Hope to hear of yours!
TIA