Train an old wood growth hydrangea to a tree?

last year

I’ve been figuring out what to do with my small landscape area (i live in a townhome). I saw that hydrangeas can be trained to grow upright as trees, which i think would be the perfect way for me to have those beautiful blooms without worrying about the shrub overgrowing the space. Everything I’ve read recommends doing it with a lime leaf hydrangea, but does anyone know if it can be done with an oak leaf hydrangea? Would it just take longer?

Featured Answer

gardengal48 (PNW Z8/9)

last year

last modified: last year

Only Hydrangea paniculata are trained as standards or tree form. An oakleaf or other species won't work. These are also typically purchased from nurseries trained in this manner already as it is a very gradual, slow process, takes some skill and a lot of patience and not every baby paniculata is well suited to that training.

Comments (8)

Monique Saysana
Original Author
last year
Thanks! i understand it will take a few years and patience, it sounds like a fun project to take up. would it actually just not work with an oak leaf, or is it just fussier? i would think that any shrub could be trained with the right pruning and supports…
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Christopher CNC
last year
Oak leaf Hydrangea is very prone to root suckers and its basic habit is that of a clumping shrub. With time and the right setting they can get big enough to walk under - sort of.
gardengal48 (PNW Z8/9)
last year
Most hydrangeas are caning or suckering shrubs that produce a multiple of stems from the root crown. These types of shrubs do not lend themselves to being trained into a tree form, which is why you never see them offered in this form at nurseries. Paniculatas tend to have a single stem or trunk so somewhat easier to train in this manner.

btw, this is not necessarily something I would recommend the average gardener undertake. You need to start with a very young, small plant and it can take as many as 7-10 years before you achieve the tree form.
pennlake
last year
last modified: last year
Its about a 4 year process in the nursery on a paniculata
luis_pr
last year
last modified: last year
I have seen tree form hydrangeas sold from paniculatas to macrophyllas but not the oakleaf hydrangeas. Perhaps their structure makes it difficult or unfeasable (too expensive or difficult). I know that just to start, they are more difficult to propagate than a Big Leaf Hydrangea macrophylla
gardengal48 (PNW Z8/9)
last year
@luis_pr, I'd be very interested to know who is growing and selling tree-form macrophyllas. In almost 50 years of gardening I've never seen or heard of one and I've searched the 'net but I see no such beast in existence :-) It has always been my understanding that only paniculatas can be trained in this manner and all of my sources support that.

If it can be done, I'd love to see one!
floral_uk z.8/9 SW UK
last year
These people offer a standard https://www.gardeningexpress.co.uk/hydrangea-tree-kings-red-giant-red-mophead-standard-100-120cms-tall?fee=6&fep=14131&gclid=EAIaIQobChMI7ral4tn6-AIVG-vtCh3BzwDnEAQYAiABEgJcj_D_BwE But it’s not what I’d call a tree. And the company has a terrible reputation. I doubt the product would be much good or survive long.