Hydrangea quercifolia ‘Snow Queen’ – Oakleaf Hydrangea

This 1979 introduction from Princeton Nursersies is an upright, stoloniferous, deciduous shrub with a broad, rounded habit. Conical clusters (6-8″ long) of mostly sterile, white flowers slowly turn pinkish purple with age. Distinctive, deeply lobed, oak-like foliage turns attractive shades of bronze, maroon or purple in autumn. Mature stems exfoliate to reveal a rich brown inner bark which is attractive in winter. Snow Queen™’s flower panicles are showier than the species and the flower stems tend to be more rigid and thus more apt to remain erect even after soaking rains. It’s also more compact and cold hardy (zone 5) than the straight species.