A Year-Round Kaleidoscope of Color (and, yes, it’s native!) by Sharyn Walz Past articles have targeted the invasive species that we need to watch out for. This year we will highlight the native species that we need to encourage. Most of us are familiar with hydrangeas—those round bushes with pink, blue or white “snowballs” of flowers, along with large, heart-shaped leaves. Hydrangeas are popular in fresh cut arrangements as well as dried bouquets. Two hydrangea species are native to the southeastern United States — Hydrangea arborescens and Hydrangea quercifolia. Hydrangea arborescens is the commonly found hydrangea, usually 3 to 4 feet high and just as wide. The flowers start out green, turn white, then brown and persist on the plant for some time. The Annabelle cultivar has become more popular in recent years over the Grandiflora variety, due to its larger, more ornamental flowers. But what we really wanted to talk about today is Hydrangea quercifolia. H. quercifolia is commonly called “oakleaf hydrangea” because, well, the leaves are shaped like oak leaves. Oakleaf hydrangea starts out with white flowers in the middle of the summer, and they soon change to pink, then green and brown. The flowers aren’t the only thing to change color—the large, serrated leaves turn rich shades of gold, copper, and even purple in the fall! Even the bark adds beauty, as it exfoliates to reveal a rich dark brown color that provides stark contrast against the winter snow. Height varies from 3 to 8 ft. and 8 ft. in width. Oakleaf hydrangeas come in two forms – single blossom and double blossom. Single blossom varieties include ‘Snow Queen’ and ‘Alice’, whose white flower heads are over a foot long. ‘Pee Wee’ and ‘Sykes’ are compact forms only reaching about 3 to 4 ft. tall at maturity. Double blossom varieties such as ‘Snowflake’ have multiple florets and boast the longest bloom season. Interested in growing Oakleaf hydrangea in your yard? Here’s what you’ll need to know:
References: https://henderson.ces.ncsu.edu/NativeHydrangeaSpecies/ https://www.todayshomeowner.com/go-native-with-oakleaf-hydrangeas/ http://www.usna.usda.gov/Gardens/faqs/hydrangeafaq2.html http://www.thespruce.com | |
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EnvironmentNews and Notices from the Roosevelt Environmental Commission and the Invasive Species Committee. Archives
September 2020
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