The Urban Pantheist

Photos by urbpan. Location: Olmsted Park.

Urban species #342: Oakleaf hydrangea Hydrangea quercifolia

Hydrangeas are popular flowering shrubs for front yards and city parks. Their clumps of flowers, sometimes cultivated in garish pinks and blues, provide accents in spring and summer. I confess to not quite grasping the appeal of this particular group of ornamentals, as they sometimes look like artificial plants to me, and their bodacious pom-poms of blossoms seem, well, like they're trying too hard. The oakleaf hydrangea, on the other hand, can be a handsome shrub, and looks quite nice in the winter. While most other shrubs and trees have long since dropped their leaves, the large, almost leathery foliage of this hydrangea remains, wine red against the wintering background. Oakleaf hydrangea is native to southeastern United States, but can be grown in much cooler climates.

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