BHG.com / Gardening / Plant Encyclopedia / Shrub / Hydrangea
  • Share
  •

Hydrangea

Hydrangea selections
Hydrangea

This shade-loving beauty offers huge bouquets of clustered flowers, in various arrangements from mophead to lacecap, from summer through fall. Varieties differ in size of plant and flower panicle, flower color, and blooming time. PeeGee hydrangeas grow into small trees; the flowers turn russet and cling into winter. Oakleaf hydrangeas have the most handsome foliage, which reddens dramatically in fall. Some of the newer hydrangeas feature huge flowers on compact plants, ideal for containers and small gardens. Hydrangeas thrive in a moist, fertile, well-drained soil in partial to full shade. If you're seeking blue flowers, check your soil's pH level and apply aluminum sulfate in spring to lower pH to the 5.2-5.5 range. The change in flower color results from lower pH and higher aluminum content in the soil.

Light:
Part Sun,Shade
Zones:
4-9
Plant Type:
Shrub
Plant Height:
3-18 feet tall
Plant Width:
3-18 feet wide
Landscape Uses:
Containers,Beds & Borders,Slopes
Special Features:
Flowers,Attractive Foliage,Fall Color,Winter Interest,Cut Flowers,Dried Flowers,Easy to Grow
Top Varieties
Hydrangea arborescens 'Annabelle' is a compact variety native to areas of eastern North America that features large clusters of flowers resembling snowballs. Zones 4-9
view >
Hydrangea macrophylla 'Big Daddy' features some of the largest flowers of any hydrangea. The plant has strong stems, making the blooms good for cutting. It grows 6 feet tall and wide. Zones 5-9
view >
Hydrangea macrophylla 'Normalis' is a lacecap variety with large white, star-shape florets blushed with pink. It also bears dark green foliage and grows 5 feet tall and wide. Zones 5-9
view >
Hydrangea macrophylla 'Nigra' is a distinct selection with clusters of blue or pink mophead flowers on rich purple-black stems. It grows 6 feet tall and wide. Zones 6-9
view >
Hydrangea serrata 'Bluebird' is a lacecap type with deep blue clustered fertile flowers surrounded by pale blue sterile flowers. This variety also features red fall leaf color. It grows 4 feet tall and wide. Zones 6-9
view >
Hydrangea macrophylla 'Blue Bonnet' offers rich periwinkle-blue flowerheads on a plant that grows 6 feet tall and 8 feet wide. Zones 6-9
view >
Hydrangea involucrata 'Wim Rutten' is a reblooming lacecap with blue flowers from midsummer to frost. It grows 4 feet tall and 5 feet wide. Zones 6-9
view >
Hydrangea macrophylla 'Berlin Rabe' shows off large, long-lasting pink flower clusters on stiff, upright stems. It grows 3 feet tall and 4 feet wide. Zones 5-9
view >
Hydrangea macrophylla 'Paris Rapa' is great for small spaces because it has upright stems and a compact habit. The long-lasting fuchsia-pink flowers fade to green. It grows 3 feet tall and 4 feet wide. Zones 5-9
view >
Hydrangea arborescens 'PIIHA-I' offers large heads of pink flowers from early summer to autumn on a compact shrub that likes full sun to part shade. It grows 5 feet tall and wide. Zones 4-9
view >
Hydrangea macrophylla 'Blushing Bride' offers semidouble flowers that open white then gradually blush to a light pink as they age. The blooms appear on new and old growth all summer and fall. It grows 6 feet tall and wide. Zones 5-9
view >
Hydrangea macrophylla 'Bailmer' blooms continuously from summer through fall, producing clear pink, dusky lavender, or blue blooms, depending on aluminum level in soil. It bears flowers on both old and new growth. Zones 4-9
view >
Hydrangea macrophylla 'PIIHM-I' is a reblooming lacecap with pink or blue flowers from June to frost. It grows 5 feet tall and wide. Zones 4-9
view >
Hydrangea macrophylla 'Forever Pink' bears extra large clusters of pink flowers on vigorous plants that grow 4 feet tall and 6 feet wide. Zones 5-9
view >
Hydrangea arborescens 'Abetwo' offers especially large, pure white bloom clusters on sturdy stems. It blooms on new wood and resists flopping. It grows 5 feet tall and 6 feet wide. Zones 3-9
view >
Hydrangea macrophylla 'Lanarth White' is a longtime favorite lacecap variety. Its large flower clusters are faintly blushed with blue or pink. The variety grows 4 feet tall and wide. Zones 5-9
view >
Hydrangea macrophylla 'Lemon Daddy' offers stunning chartreuse foliage that glows through the season. The lavender flowers are upstaged by the leaves. It grows 4 feet tall and wide. Zones 5-9
view >
Hydrangea macrophylla 'Lemon Wave' is prized for its wildly variegated foliage. Each leaf is painted with strokes of white and yellow. It bears blue or pink lacecap flowers on last-year's stems and grows 6 feet tall and wide. Zones 6-9
view >
Hydrangea macrophylla 'Lynn' is a reblooming lacecap variety with blue or pink flowers, dark green foliage, and a compact habit. It grows 3 feet tall and wide. Zones 5-9
view >
Hydrangea macrophylla 'Bailday' bears green leaves festively edged in white. It bears flattened lacecap-type flowers in shades of blue. It grows 4 feet tall and wide. Zones 5-9
view >
Hydrangea paniculata 'Limelight' is a sun-loving selection with large green flowers midsummer into autumn. The blooms deepen to pink in cool weather. It grows 8 feet tall and 6 feet wide. Zones 3-8
view >
Hydrangea quercifolia is native to areas of North America and bears snowy cone-shape flowers in summer, but the real attraction are the large, scalloped leaves that redden in autumn. It grows 6 feet tall and 8 feet wide. Zones 5-9
view >
Hydrangea paniculata 'Grandiflora' is a vigorous shrub or small tree for full sun that can grow up to 20 feet tall and 8 feet wide. It bears clusters of white flowers in summer that fade to shades of rose or green before turning beige in winter. Zones 4-8
view >
Hydrangea macrophylla 'Sonmarie' features strong stems and lime-green buds that become rich pink or lavender flowers. It grows 5 feet tall and 6 feet wide. Zones 5-9
view >
Hydrangea paniculata 'DVPpinky' provides a brilliant display of softly fragrant white flowers that fade to pink in mid- to late summer. It grows 8 feet tall and wide. Zones 4-8
view >
Hydrangea serrata 'Rosalba' is a pink lacecape-type that grows 3 feet tall and wide. Zones 6-9
view >
Hydrangea villosa shows off long, narrow fuzzy leaves and lacecap flowers in late summer and autumn. It grows 12 feet tall and wide. Zones 7-9
view >
Hydrangea quercifolia 'Snowflake' displays showy double florets that fade to rosy pink before turning brown in autumn. The leaves turn wonderful shades of red and purple in fall. It grows 6 feet tall and 10 feet wide. Zones 5-9
view >
Hydrangea serrata 'Hallasan' is a reblooming lacecap type that bears pinkish or bluish flowers from summer to fall on a low, spreading shrub. It grows 3 feet tall and 4 feet wide. Zones 4-9
view >
Hydrangea macrophylla 'Sun Goddess' shows off bright golden-chartreuse foliage and clusters of pink or blue flowers. It grows 5 feet tall and wide. Zones 6-9.
view >
Hydrangea paniculata 'Tardiva' is a sun-loving, white-flowering variety with large clusters of white blooms. It grows 10 feet tall and 6 feet wide. Zones 4-8
view >
Vaughn's Lillie Hydrangea quercifolia bears large, extra-full flower heads in summer. It's a profuse bloomer that also features great fall color. It grows 4 feet tall and 5 feet wide. Zones 5-9
view >
Hydrangea paniculata 'HYPMADI' is a sun-loving variety that offers loose clusters of white flowers in midsummer and dark green foliage. It grows 5 feet tall and wide. Zones 4-8
view >
Hydrangea arborescens 'Dardom' features fluffy lacecap flowers on a hardy, shade-loving plant that grows 5 feet tall and 4 feet wide. Zones 4-9
view >
Garden Plans
Easy-Care Summer-Blooming Shade Garden Plan
Dramatic Entrance Garden Plan
Rose Arbor Garden Plan
Garden Plan for Partial Shade
Tropical-Theme Summer Perennial Garden Plan
Classic Container Garden Plan
Garden Design for a Deck
English-Style Front Yard Garden Plan
Fall Favorites Garden Plan
Fresh and Formal Garden Plan
Propagation
Stem Cuttings

not what you're looking for? try a new search

search by plant name
BHG Products at Walmart
BHG Real Estate