Hydrangea quercifolia Alice

Hydrangea quercifolia 'Alice' is a hydrangea with oak-like leaves that will charm with its beautiful vigour and the lovely pale pink colour that its flower panicles take on before fading. Its attractive foliage is composed of leaves that distinguish themselves by their beautiful size, their well-lobed contours, and their great persistence. They develop colour later – coppery orange rather than red – and can even remain partly on the branches if the winter is mild. Its fine stature makes it suitable for large shrub masses. Hydrangea quercifolia is less demanding than other hydrangeas in terms of exposure and soil, as long as it is well drained and without excess lime.

Hydrangea quercifolia, from the Hydrangeaceae family, is originally native to the southwestern United States, particularly the Mississippi valley. It is found growing on cliffs, in damp woods, ravines and on the banks of rivers, from Georgia to Louisiana via Florida. It is a large deciduous shrub, which can reach 4 m (13 ft) in height in its natural habitat and, by producing shoots, can grow up to 3.5 m (11 ft 6 in) wide. It is characterised by a deep root system and large lobed leaves, whose appearance can resemble oak leaves. It is appreciated for its superb autumn colours and its flowering in large white and erect panicles composed of small powdery fertile flowers surrounded by larger fertile florets. In the garden, it is one of the easiest hydrangeas to grow: it is hardy below -20 °C (-4 °F), tolerates a little lime in the soil, and copes with heat and occasionally dry soils in summer if they are deep.

The 'Alice' cultivar  has a bushy, ramified and rounded habit and rather rapid growth: it is a vigorous cultivar that will reach around 2.5 m (8 ft 2 in) in all directions at the age of 10 years, up to 3 m (9 ft 10 in) if the growing conditions are optimal. One of the major assets of this variety is the unusual colour of its flowers. These begin to develop on the old wood in June-July, depending on the climate, and consist of erect, pyramidal inflorescences, 25 to 35 cm (9.8 to 13.8 in) long. Each is composed in the centre of small rare fertile cream-white flowers with prominent stamens contrasting with fertile flowers of a decent size, in the shape of white stars. These inflorescences tint pink as they age. Its young spring and summer leaves are covered with a whitish down in spring. They unfold into large leaves 16-20 cm (6.3-7.9 in) long cut into 5 to 7 deep lobes, with coarsely dentate, dark green edges. In October, they take on beautiful orange hues and are slow to fall to the ground. The bark of this variety peels off over time, revealing a new and shiny cinnamon-coloured wood, which is decorative in winter.

Hydrangea quercifolia 'Alice' appreciates slightly sunny exposures that accentuate its autumnal colours and increase the number of its flowers, such as the light filtered by the foliage of trees or even shade in a hot climate. It can be used in clumps, isolated in a small garden or at the bend of a path, or in a free hedge, but does not tolerate pot culture well. It can be combined with other hydrangeas, but also with Nandina, Mexican oranges, Purple Berberis and deciduous viburnums (snowball, Eskimo, Charles Lamont, etc.), or even with seringas and lilacs.