Hydrangea quercifolia Back Porch

Hydrangea quercifolia 'Back Porch' is a variety of Oakleaf Hydrangea with strong vigour, known for its particularly generous flowering and beautiful autumn colours. In summer, it is adorned with long, numerous white panicles that turn a lovely pink shade as they fade. The autumn foliage of this bush offers a remarkable symphony of red, purple, and violet tones for the late season. It will find its place in a large shrub bed or in a free hedge. Like all 'Oakleaf' hydrangeas, this hydrangea is not demanding in terms of soil and climate. A must-see!

Hydrangea quercifolia 'Back Porch' belongs to the hydrangea family, like all hydrangeas. The typical species, with single white flowers, is mainly native to the southwest United States, particularly the Mississippi Valley. This plant can be found growing on cliffs, in damp woods, ravines, and on riverbanks, from Georgia to Louisiana, passing through Florida. In the garden, it is one of the easiest hydrangeas to grow: it is hardy below -20°C (-4°F), tolerates some limestone in the soil, light sunlight, and can adapt to heat and occasionally dry soil in summer if it is deep.

This 'Back Porch' selection is a large deciduous bush, slightly suckering, reaching about 1.80m (6ft) in all directions. It is characterized by large lobed leaves, which can resemble oak leaves. One of the major advantages of this variety is its more decorative and abundant flowering compared to the typical species. It begins in June-July, depending on the climate, developing on old wood. It consists of long, slightly trailing pyramidal inflorescences, reaching about twenty centimetres. Each one is composed of tiny fertile flowers and four-petaled sterile flowers. In this variety, the sterile florets are small but very numerous. They turn pink in late summer. The young spring and summer leaves are covered with a whitish fuzz in spring. They unfold into large leaves 12-14cm (5-6in) long, divided into 5 deep lobes with roughly toothed edges, of medium green colour. In late summer, they take on fantastic dark red to purple-violet shades, before falling more or less late in autumn. The bark of this variety peels off over time, revealing new and shiny cinnamon-coloured wood, which is decorative in winter.

Hydrangea quercifolia 'Back Porch' benefits from being planted in a slightly sunny location that enhances its autumn colours. Light filtered through the canopy of trees suits it very well, especially in hot climates. It can be used in the back of a bed, as a standalone plant, in an informal hedge, or in a shrub bed. It can be associated with other hydrangeas, as well as with Nandina, Mexican Orange Blossom, Berberis thunbergii... In full sun, it pairs beautifully with amaranths (Amaranthus 'Velvet Curtains') and hastate verbenas (Verbena hastata 'Rosea').