Hydrangea Quercifolia, Oak leaf hydrangea,
There is no reason to remove more of the plant unless you want them to stay short? This plant will reach 6 to 8 feet tall , in one season. It should have been pruned after it bloomed, this plant blooms on previous year's growth. If this plant was pruned recently, it may or may not bloom this year. You would never cut this plant to the ground? The plant will leaf out as soon as the weather warms, You will have a full bush of leaves, if the plant does not put on buds. If the plant does not produce leaves, it is dead, so there is no reason to think that you will have a bare shrub. Oak leaf Hydrangea has naturally shaggy bark.
This plant is easy to grow, and should not be pruned a lot. You can prune for shape, but if you want a smaller shrub, this is not the plant. There are other dwarf cultivars of oakleaf hydrangea, that stay small, like Pee Wee, Sykes Dwarf, Little Honey (chartreuse foliage)and Munchkin, most of these grow to 3-4 feet.
