Winter Hydrangea Architecture

I will never understand cutting off the dried flowerheads of hydrangeas before April. I mean, snowcatching is the whole point! Plus, I’ll take flowers in whatever form they show up.

This is Snowflake oakleaf hydrangea. It’s an older cultivar of one of our North American native shrubs. It’s heavy trusses of flowers feature magnificent doubled flowers. It has so many petals, the blossoms cascade over.

And then they dry perfectly.

What’s not to love? Easygoing part shade shrub. Stunner of a flower. Oodles and oodles of winter architecture. Makes you stop in your tracks and cradle the flowers in both hands because they are that huge and you can’t resist touching them.

It’s available by mail order (likely because it is homely in a nursery pot). Go treat yourself to one. Or three. Your winter garden deserves this much gorgeousness.