The Best Plants To Pair With Oakleaf Hydrangeas, According To Our Professional Horticulturalist

Oakleaf hydrangeas are a favorite among many gardeners because of their lush foliage that resembles oak tree leaves. Even after the foliage falls off during the winter months, the plant still boosts the visual appeal of a garden thanks to its stunning bark. With these perks in mind, it is clear that oakleaf hydrangeas are a great choice for your garden all year round. If you grew some of your own, you might want to know what plants pair best with them. Erin Scottberg, who oversees content and education at The Sill and is a horticulturist specializing in urban gardening and plant care, shared a few of them while speaking exclusively to House Digest. The expert revealed that astilbe, ferns, bleeding heart, coral bells, rhododendrons, azaleas, witch hazel, and viburnums all pair well with oakleaf hydrangeas.

If you do not already have oakleaf hydrangeas in your garden to pair with these plants, you might want to know a bit more about them to help decide whether they are right for you. "Springtime brings its large, name-sake foliage (the leaves are shaped like oak tree leaves), followed by large panicles of fragrant white blooms from June through the fall," Scottberg said of oakleaf hydrangeas. "The foliage deepens as the temperatures cool, creating really great contrast to the light-colored bloom, which, come fall, will dry to a striking tan color."

Thanks to Scottberg's expert knowledge, you now know which plants pair with oakleaf hydrangeas. However, she also shared a bit more about each of the aforementioned plants and why exactly they work well with the hydrangeas."I like astilbe and ferns, shade-loving plants with finer, feathery foliage that offers a nice visual contrast," Scottberg explained while speaking exclusively to House Digest. "If you're looking for more color, try a bleeding heart or variety of Heuchera (commonly known as Coral Bells), both of which produce delicate, pinkish/reddish blooms."

Scottberg went on to recommend rhododendrons and azaleas to plant alongside oakleaf hydrangeas as well. However, these two plants require a lot of room, so you might want to only consider these if you have a large garden. Witch hazel and viburnums are the final two plants Scottberg shared more information on. "Witch hazel and viburnums also offer winter/spring blooms, which can help extend your garden's flowering season," she explained.

While speaking exclusively to House Digest, Scottberg shared a few care tips you will need to know before growing your own oakleaf hydrangeas alongside any of these plants. "The main thing to know about oakleaf hydrangeas is that they bloom on what's known as 'old growth,'" she said. "This means that next season's blooms will grow on this fall's growth. Oakleaf hydrangeas shouldn't be pruned in the fall or winter (like some other varieties), and instead do any deadheading and maintenance in the later summer."

You also need to be careful about the placement of any vegetation planted near oakleaf hydrangeas. According to Scottberg, the hydrangeas can grow so tall that they provide shade over any plants placed too close to them. This would interfere with the health of vegetation that requires a lot of sunlight. As long as you are aware of this risk, it is pretty easy to avoid. "That said, there are plenty of smaller, more compact varieties," Scottberg said, confirming that you can simply skip out on planting the types of oakleaf hydrangeas that grow super large. "And hey! You can always move a plant if it ends up being in a not-so-suitable spot!"