Hydrangea quercifolia 'PEE WEE'

If you look at Pee Wee oak-leaved hydrangea placed among other varieties of this species you will hardly notice any difference. The feature for which it is cultivated and popular among growers shows after a couple of years in the garden: it is its size and habit. Pee Wee is a compact, slower growing variety of oak-leaved hydrangea.

It makes very attractive, shallowly lobed, deciduous, somewhat coarse leaves that are rich green in spring and summer, and turn burgundy red in early autumn and remain such for longer than 2 months before they fall down. The inflorescence is mid-sized, erect, composed of mainly sterile flowers – those are the 4-petalled creamy white ones. They turn pink to light purple in late summer, and brown in early autumn.

Another nice feature about oak-leaved hydrangeas is their exfoliating bark which reveals orange-brown bark. Pruning is a waste of time in case of this compact variety, still, if you need to prune or shape the plant do so immediately after flowering because it flowers on previous year’s wood.

Oak-leaved hydrangea comes from moist and boggy sites along streams and river banks, therefore, it will require similar conditions in the garden. Grow it in constantly moist soil, in full sun or part shade, it can even take temporary waterlogging. It is not fussy about soil pH or quality – it will grow even in clay and compacted ground, but more slowly. It is fully hardy to about -29°C (USDA zone 5).

Last update: 28-01-2014