Some improvements make this Oakleaf Hydrangea significantly better. Its upright habit is useful in small spaces; its rich green leaves take full sun and its large, white, well-filled flower heads are held on rigid stems and do not droop after rain.

A valuable genus of some 100 species of shrubs and vines grown for their large and very showy flower heads. Hydrangeas are at their best in summer and fall—quiet time for most woody plants—and are worth having for that reason alone.