Hydrangea quercifolia, commonly known as oakleaf hydrangea or oak-leaved hydrangea, is a species of flowering plant in the family Hydrangeaceae. It is native to the southeastern United States, in woodland habitats from North Carolina west to Tennessee, and south to Florida and Louisiana.

It is unlike the hydrangea bushes one sees everywhere in England, the bush with it pom-pom globes of red or blue flowers. The colour depends on the acidity of the soil.

When I was young and walked to school, I detested the poor hydrangeas because they seemed to be the extent of the imaginations of many gardeners. A bush in a sea of concrete or pebbles, stranded.

Now, for some reason, the oak leaf hydrangea has rescued me from my opinion of hydrangeas in general. Go explain that.

By the way… it is not only hydrangeas that can be stranded. This rhododendron is only saved by being off-centre in the garden. It is still beautiful, is it not?