Whether planted in containers or in a garden bed, few plants provide a bigger impact than a hydrangea. The deciduous, fast-growing shrubs are beloved for their large flower heads and there are many variations to choose from. Lacecap, oakleaf, panicle, climbing, smooth, and large-leafed hydrangeas bring diverse texture, flower and foliage color, and form to the summer landscape. What all hydrangeas have in common is that they thrive in fertile, humus-rich soil with consistent moisture. For bigleaf hydrangea, the soil pH makes a big difference: Its flowers are blue in acidic soil (pH of 6.0 or lower) and pink in neutral to alkaline soil (pH of 7.0 or higher).
There are about 80 hydrangea species worldwide but only a small number is grown as garden plants. Most commercially-available hydrangea cultivars are derived from these six popular hydrangea species: smooth hydrangea (H. arborescens ), bigleaf hydrangea (H. macrophylla) , panicle hydrangea (H. paniculata), climbing hydrangea (H. anomala) , oakleaf hydrangea (H. quercifolia) , and mountain hydrangea (H. serrata).
Here are several types of hydrangeas worth adding to your landscape.
Warning
All parts of hydrangeas are toxic to humans and pets.
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Incrediball Hydrangea
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If plant breeders are sometimes guilty of hyperbole in their plant name selections, this is not the case with Incrediball, a trademarked cultivar of H. arborescens. In spite of the huge, densely packed 12-inch flower heads the shrub produces in abundance, the sturdy stems on this plant will not allow the flowers on this white hydrangea to flop into the mud. One potted plant will make a gorgeous anchor in your summer border. For a showy hedge, plant several hydrangeas.
- Name: Incrediball hydrangea (Hydrangea arborescens 'Abetwo')
- USDA Hardiness Zones: 3-8
- Flower Color: White
- Light: Full sun, partial shade
- Mature Size: 4-5 ft. tall and wide
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Nikko Blue Hydrangea
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This is a hydrangea variety where the soil pH makes a difference in the flower color. For the most intense blue blooms possible from your 'Nikko Blue' hydrangea bush, keep your soil on the acidic side. The bloom period of this mophead hydrangea variety starts earlier than for most other hydrangeas. It usually begins in June and lasts for two months. At the cooler end of the zone spectrum, you might want to provide winter protection because the lower buds get easily damaged by the cold, leading to a poor or no bloom the next year.
- Name: Nikko Blue hydrangea (Hydrangea macrophylla 'Nikko Blue')
- USDA Hardiness Zones: 6-9
- Flower Color: Blue in acidic soil, pink in alkaline soil
- Light: Partial shade
- Mature Size: 4-6 ft. tall and wide
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Limelight Hydrangea
Poliuszko / Getty Images Green flowers are the little black dresses of the gardening world: they flatter all situations. The chartreuse flowers of 'Limelight' hydrangeas age to a mellow pink as the season progresses. Plants bloom on new wood, making this a very hardy selection in cold areas. Although 'Limelight' is a slightly more compact cultivar of H. paniculata, it is still a fast grower that reaches a height of 8 feet; in smaller spaces, look for its smaller cousin 'Little Lime.'
- Name: Limelight hydrangea (Hydrangea paniculata 'Limelight')
- USDA Hardiness Zones: 3-9
- Flower Color: White
- Light: Full sun, partial shade
- Mature Size: 6-8 ft. tall and wide
- 04 of 14
Cityline Mars Hydrangea
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A picotee petal adds a little bling to your hydrangea collection. This compact shrub from the trademarked Cityline series is the perfect addition to your patio garden. Like other Hydrangea macrophylla varieties, soil pH affects bloom color. Cityline 'Mars' shrubs might have multiple colors on the same bush the season following installation as the plants adjust to your unique soil chemistry. The specimen shown here is situated in a garden with a neutral pH, which results in a purple shade hovering just between blue and pink. Maintaining such a narrow pH range is easier to do with container culture than in the ground.
- Name: Cityline Mars hydrangea (Hydrangea macrophylla Cityline 'Mars')
- USDA Hardiness Zones: 5-9
- Flower Color: Blue, pink
- Light: Full sun, partial shade
- Mature Size: 1-3 ft. tall and wide
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Zinfin Doll Hydrangea
F. D. Richards / Flickr / CC BY 2.0
The strawberries-and-cream coloration of the Zinfin Doll hydrangea will not fade in full sun and attracts butterflies all summer long. Although classified as a panicle hydrangea, the full blooms of this variety are lush, like those of a mophead hydrangea. As they age, the flowers turn dark pink-red and remain colorful for months. No special pH alterations are necessary to achieve the color change from white to pink; it occurs naturally as a consequence of maturing.
- Name: Zinfin Doll hydrangea (Hydrangea paniculata 'Zinfin Doll')
- USDA Hardiness Zones: 3-8
- Flower Color: Pink, white, red
- Light: Full sun, partial shade
- Mature Size: 4-6 ft. tall and wide
- 06 of 14
Climbing Hydrangea
Perry Mastrovito / Getty Images
Anyone who inherits a climbing hydrangea specimen is lucky. This plant, which is native to the Himalayas and China, is notoriously slow to take off. However, once this self-clinging vine becomes established, it climbs and sprawls 40 feet or more onto fences, structures, and trees. For added interest, look for the variegated climbing hydrangea 'Miranda' (H. petiolaris subsp. petiolaris 'Miranda'), which features creamy yellow leaf margins in addition to ten-inch flower heads.
- Name: Climbing hydrangea (Hydrangea anomala subsp. petiolaris)
- USDA Hardiness Zones: 4-8
- Flower Color: White
- Light: Full sun, partial shade
- Mature Size: 30-50 ft. tall, 5-6 ft. wide
- 07 of 14
Gatsby Pink Hydrangea
Gardeners who cherish North American native plants should not miss the showy oakleaf hydrangea cultivar 'Gatsby Pink.' A season-long spectacle of color, flowers start white and gradually change to pink, then the foliage joins the display in autumn with a brilliant red showing. This variety is a good choice for woodland gardens and informal plantings. Like all other oakleaf hydrangeas, it blooms on old wood, which requires a garden in USDA hardiness zone 5 or warmer to prevent winter damage that affects the bloom.
- Name: Gatsby Pink hydrangea (Hydrangea quercifolia 'Gatsby Pink')
- USDA Hardiness Zones: 5-9
- Flower Color: Pink, white
- Light: Full sun, partial shade
- Mature Size: 6-8 ft. tall and wide
- 08 of 14
BloomStruck Bigleaf Hydrangea
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Hydrangeas in the Endless Summer series defy harsh winters by blooming on both new and old wood. 'Bloomstruck' is the fourth introduction in the series, with either blue-purple or rose-pink blossoms. The strong stems are red-purple and the dark green leaves have red petioles and red veins, which adds to the attraction of this compact shrub. This hydrangea variety is quite tolerant to heat and has good resistance to powdery mildew.
- Name: BloomStruck Bigleaf Hydrangea (Hydrangea macrophylla 'BloomStruck')
- USDA Hardiness Zones: 4-9
- Flower Color: Rose-pink, blue-purple
- Light: Partial shade
- Mature Size: 3-4 ft. tall, 4-5 ft. wide
2:38Click Play to Learn How to Easily Grow 'BloomStruck' Bigleaf Hydrangea
Continue to 9 of 14 below - 09 of 14
Blue Deckle Hydrangea
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'Blue Deckle' is a cultivar of the Japanese mountain hydrangea (Hydrangea serrata) with frilly flowers. The bloom color depends on the acidity of the soil, ranging from light blue flowers in more acidic soil to pale lavender in less acidic soil. This compact shrub thrives in the dappled sunlight of tall deciduous trees. It is a late-blooming shrub that peaks in July and August and it has more in store for you when autumn arrives because its brilliant red and purple leaves rival any fall foliage display sought by leaf peepers.
- Name: Blue Deckle hydrangea (Hydrangea serrata 'Blue Deckle')
- USDA Hardiness Zones: 6-9
- Flower Color: Blue, lavender
- Light: Partial shade
- Mature Size: 3-4 ft. tall and wide
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Eldorado Hydrangea
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Red is not the color that you'd associate with hydrangeas but here is the exception. This compact little shrub blooms red in the later summer and early fall. The late bloom is another outstanding feature of this unusual variety; it spices up your landscape when most other shrubs are long done blooming. This hydrangea cultivar grows in acidic or neutral soil. Like most mophead hydrangeas, it is not quite as winter-hardy as other hydrangea species.
- Name: Eldorado hydrangea (Hydrangea macrophylla 'Eldorado')
- USDA Hardiness Zones: 6-9
- Flower Color: Red
- Light: Full sun, partial shade
- Mature Size: 3 ft. tall and wide
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YOU&ME® 'Together' Hydrangea
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YOU&ME® 'Together' is a double-flowered form that produces a much denser flower head than your typical bigleaf macrophylla varieties. Depending on the acidity of the soil, the flowers are light pink or light blue. Pair with others in the YOU&ME series for a rich floral display.
- Name: YOU&ME 'Together hydrangea (Hydrangea macrophylla YOU&ME 'Together')
- USDA Hardiness Zones: 6-9
- Flower Color: Light pink, light blue
- Light: Full sun, partial shade
- Mature Size: 3 ft. tall
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Madame Emile Mouillere Hydrangea
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This hydrangea was bred in France over 100 years ago. It is more than just a hardy and reliable little mophead hydrangea. Although its sterile blooms appear white, they fade to a pale, ethereal blue or dusky pink as the summer progresses. Look for a tinge of blue or pink in the bloom's eye to get a preview of the color progression.
- Name: Madame Emile Mouillere hydrangea (Hydrangea macrophylla 'Madame Emile Mouillere')
- USDA Hardiness Zones: 5-9
- Flower Color: Partial shade
- Light: White
- Mature Size: 5-6 ft. tall, 6-8 ft. wide
Continue to 13 of 14 below - 13 of 14
Miss Saori Hydrangea
National Garden Bureau
What makes this award-winning dwarf hydrangea cultivar stand out are the creamy double flowers with picotee rose margins. This texture and color are not found in any other hydrangea. The sterile flowers appear in June, followed by burgundy fall foliage. The mature plant even has winter interest with its shredding and peeling papery cinnamon-colored bark of the stems and branches, The plants are compact and controlled in their growth, making them an ideal specimen plant for the middle of the flower border.
- Name: Miss Saori hydrangea (Hydrangea macrophylla 'Miss Saori')
- USDA Hardiness Zones: 5-11
- Flower Color: Cream, pink, variegated
- Light: Full sun, partial shade
- Mature Size: 3 ft. tall and wide
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Unique Hydrangea
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'Unique' is a particularly hardy panicle hydrangea. It is a large shrub with an upward growth habit that adapts well to training as a tree form. To do this, remove all lower branches to form a central leader, which becomes the trunk of the tree. The flowers start out white and as they age they obtain a pinkish hue. The shrub responds well to pruning to keep its size under control but keep in mind that this hydrangea flowers on new wood, so time your hydrangea pruning accordingly.
- Name: Unique hydrangea (Hydrangea paniculata ‘Unique’)
- USDA Hardiness Zones: 3-8
- Flower Color: White
- Light: Full sun, partial shade
- Mature Size: 6-10 ft, tall, 8 ft. wide
Learn More
Hydrangeas are generally a very easy and trouble-free flowering shrub. If the plant is not doing well, it's helpful to understand the reason so you can take corrective action.
- Why Hydrangeas Are Not Blooming
- Reasons Hydrangeas Wilt
- When To Prune Hydrangeas
- Hydrangea Winter Care
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Which hydrangea is the most popular?
One of the most popular varieties of hydrangea are bigleaf hydrangeas. They have round flower heads and bloom with blue, pink, or purple flowers.
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What is the most low-maintenance hydrangea to grow?
Panicle hydrangeas are considered one of the most low-maintenance hydrangeas. These plants are hardy in zones 3 to 8 and bloom with large, white flowers.
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Which type of hydrangea blooms the longest?
Panicle hydrangeas are long bloomers, flowering from early summer into the fall.