Gatsby Gal^® Oakleaf hydrangea Hydrangea quercifolia

I've been growing this plant for about 4 years now. I purchased one in 2021, fell in love with it, then purchased 2 more the following year. The oldest of the three did great until this year. Coming out of winter, I noticed that it was not putting on new growth like the other two plants. Went to check and the entire plant has died. Nothing in my routine last year changed from the previous years. Have no clue what happened. This is disappointing as I'm trying to get my house ready for sale next year and don't have time to go back and replace things I've already planted. Don't know whether to go with the same or something totally different as a replacement.

I love the pictures of this hydrangea, but I've had a hard time getting it established - very common for Oakleaf Hydrangeas in general, but this cultivar I have now lost 4 out of 6. This issue is root rot. Here in northern SC our soils are a heavy (much more heavy than the midwest) clay soil. After amending the soil, and amending again, and again, I have gotten two to take fairly well! Not ready to give up on this cultivar yet! Still I now have to replace this cultivar yet again for the most recent one that has died. I plan on making this my last ditch effort before I go to another cultivar that does better in the southeast (there are a few). While establishment is tricky with this species, I think this cultivar is a little worse than others if you live in the south. If you aren't totally in love with the Gatsby series, I wouldn't purchase this one unless you have a true woodsy hummus soil or else a sandy soil. This species is native to the sandy soil forests in Alabama. So in breeding this down to a smaller size, I think proven winners has sacrificed some of the plant's vigor and root rot resistance. Be warned if you have a humid climate and heavy soils!