Sign up for our weekly email about sales and events. This is a Hydrangea paniculata ‘Grandiflora’ – aka a peegee (or PG) hydrangea. Flattened clusters of what appear to be tiny, immature buds surrounded at the edges by, typically, 4- to 5-petal flowers. Yes, they will eat oak leaf hydrangea. Tree types can grow to 30 feet tall. One of the challenges of being a home landscaper or gardener is admitting that we are not totally in charge, and that a plant isn’t “out of control” just because it’s gotten bigger. The pink and purple behind that one are Forever and Ever Red and Forever and Ever Blue Heaven. See how it is now, in July, a good six feet tall and eight feet in diameter once again? Before you reduce the size of a hydrangea that has grown too large for its site, figure out whether it blooms on new wood or old so you don't lose a season of bloom. Peewee, a dwarf-sized oak leaf, with its bright purple fall leaves is an American favorite, as is Ruby Slippers, the flowers of which start white, turn pink, and gradually red in late summer. Is it too late in the season to plant it outside? Real show stoppers, these two dwarf oak leaf hydrangeas grow no taller than 4 feet. Maybe it was planted in the wrong location, or perhaps no one knew just how large it would ultimately grow. The soil will be plenty … I moved a few Oak Leaf Hydrangea offshoots last fall, just before they went dormant, so not an ideal time either. Anyone else have what looks like fungal leaf spot on their hydrangeas? They often cluster on the underside of the leaves and suck the nutrient-rich sap. 4 to 6 feet high and wide; upright and irregular form at maturity. The plant develops additional side shoots, which will be shorter with more, but smaller blooms. In the neighborhood where I lived as a boy, the rowhouses had small gardens framed with low brick walls, and every third house or so had a blessed mophead hydrangea. This controls the height of the tree and creates a canopy with stems that are not so long that they bow to the ground under the weight of summer blooms. This is especially important for those that bloom on old wood, such as mop head/big leaf hydrangeas (Hydrangea macrophylla). Always avoid cutting off the blossoms for next year. The South loves a mophead. White flowering hydrangeas such as Annabelle or any of the Hydrangea paniculata, or panicle hydrangeas, flower on new growth so these will still flower well if they are cut back hard. University of California Master Gardeners, University of California Master Gardeners: Pruning Hydrangeas, How to Prune a Hydrangea Paniculata 'Limelight' into a Tree Form. Water the maple leaf hydrangea regularly to keep the planting site moist, but not flooded. If your oakleaf hydrangea has grown too big for your liking, or is becoming too woody, cut it right back. Leaves that can be 8 inches long, and deeply lobed, resembling an oak leaf, give this plant both its common and botanical names. But if your hydrangea is getting much too large (or old), and you simply must prune it, use one of the following methods. This is the hallmark of a Hydrangea macrophylla that has been pruned to “get it under control” or to “clean it up.”. Also called swamp snowball, it is hardy to zone 5 and though it prefers full sun, it can take some shade and still blossom well. It is doing well so far. The plant will produce new growth, but for a very short time you’ll have the passageways clear. Your hydrangea has gotten too big. This also include the attractive oakleaf hydrangeas with their oakleaf-shaped leaves, reports Fine Gardening. © Copyright 2020 Hearst Communications, Inc. Keep pruning tools clean and sharp to avoid damage to the plants. These Forever and Ever Hydrangeas are below the windows not because they were pruned, but because they only grow about four feet tall. Cut back hydrangeas that bloom on new wood types – smooth, Anabelle-type hydrangeas (H. arborescens) and tree or PeeGee hydrangeas (H. paniculata) – to the ground in late fall or early winter. And look at those rich, blue blooms! If you plan on creating an oakleaf hydrangea hedge and really wowing your neighbors, we recommend that you plant around 6 feet apart, center on center. It blooms a little later than the other hydrangeas, beginning in August. They regrow to mature size within the span of the growing season. They are divided into two main groups: the hortensias with large snowball-like flower clusters, and the lacecapes, which generally have somewhat flat-top flowers, with fertile, non-showy flowers in the center and more showy sterile flowers on the outside. Cultivar of this plant, called 'Snow Queen, ' can be grown in USDA plant zones! 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