 Ashy hydrangea occurs scattered in mostly upland sites and rocky outcrops in the interior regions of the southeastern United States in the southern sections of the Blue Ridge Mountains from Tennessee to South Carolina, west to Missouri, south to Arkansas, Alabama, and Georgia.It is typically found in neutral, basic or calcareous soils.Ashy hydrangea is similar to the more widespread smooth hydrangea ("Hydrangea arborescens") and the restricted silverleaf hydrangea ("Hydrangea radiata").