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Hydrangea radiata
Also called Snowy Hydrangea
Hydrangea radiata is a deciduous shrub up to 3 m (9.8 ft) tall in the flowering plant family Hydrangeaceae. Its natural range is limited to the southern Appalachians, where it is fairly common. Its common names—silverleaf hydrangea or snowy hydrangea—reflect its distinctive foliage which is dark green on top and silvery white below; the sharply contrasting foliar colors makes this shrub conspicuous at a distance, especially in a breeze.
Silver hydrangea is native to the mountainous region, usually above 2,000 feet (610 m) elevation, represented by the southern Blue Ridge Mountains from southeast Tennessee, east to North Carolina and northwestern South Carolina, and south to northeastern Georgia. It typically occurs near streams, rocky outcrops, and along roads, especially in the headwaters of the Chattooga River and also in the French Broad River Valley. It is conspicuous along roadsides near the junction of North Carolina, South Carolina, and Georgia—in the vicinity of Highlands, Cashiers, and Rosman, North Carolina. Some outlier occurrences of silverleaf hydrangea have been locally observed in the Piedmont Region; these populations may have escaped from cultivation.
This attractive shrub has considerable landscaping potential in areas with a suitable climate and soils. Requiring cool, moist habitats in the shade, silverleaf hydrangea is not as tolerant of the heat and drought as smooth hydrangea. It is also more difficult to root from cuttings than either smooth or ashy hydrangeas. Silverleaf hydrangea produces more showy flowers than smooth hydrangea or ashy hydrangea. Silverleaf hydrangea is suitable for hardiness zones 4 to 9, although highly protected locations would be advisable in areas warmer than zone 6. Several popular cultivars are available (Samantha and Terri Greer).
Kanawao · Hydrangea · Deinanthe caerulea · Hydrangea · Hydrangea febrifuga · Hydrangea · Climbing Hydrangea · Wild hydrangea · Rough Leaf Hydrangea · Climbing Hydrangea · Hydrangea bretschneideri · Chinese Hydrangea
Text excerpted from the Wikipedia article Hydrangea radiata by its contributors, under CC BY-SA 4.0; the excerpts are shared under the same licence.
Life form, climate and native range: World Checklist of Vascular Plants, Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew (CC BY 3.0), reformatted; see Plants of the World Online.
