14 Beautiful Hydrangeas for Your Garden

Hydrangeas are an easy way to add a big impact without wreaking havoc to your bank account – few flowers can rival the elegance their splendiferous blooms bring. 

Hydrangeas come in several types – panicle, smooth, oakleaf, and bigleaf – which are generally grouped into mopheads and lacecaps. Mopheads are the typical hydrangeas that dot gardens and are the epitome of old money charm. Lacecaps are more unusual, with showy flowers ringing the flower head. Panicles, considered the easiest type of hydrangea, are able to tolerate partial shade. Those with a limited amount of space may consider dwarf or compact varieties. 

Here are a few beautiful hydrangeas you should be growing in your garden. 

1. Endless Summer® Hydrangea       

For those that wish summer will never end, this hydrangea keeps your garden alive from spring through fall. Blessed with a marvelous vibrance reminiscent of classic hydrangeas, it blooms on both new and old wood; the best time to prune hydrangeas in the Endless Summer series is during early spring, as new growth emerges. 

2. Incrediball® Hydrangea

Hedges need not be dull – the densely crowded flowers of this cultivar make for a striking display. Its strong, sturdy stems provide support to its massive, snowball flowers, ensuring that they will not bow over during heavy rainfall. Some gardeners choose to grow them en masse as a border, while others use them as a focal point in the landscape. In hot climates, grow in partial shade.  

3. Quick Fire® Hydrangea Tree

Hydrangeas are known for their shrub-like growth, but they can also take the form of a small tree. Appearing before any other panicle hydrangea, Quick Fire® hydrangea is quick on the trigger, cementing is presence by July 4th. While some hydrangeas derive their color from soil pH, this one does not. In fall, its leaves turn burgundy for one final show. 

4. Frill Ride™ Reblooming Hydrangea

Part of the thrill lies in the shifting colors of the Frill Ride™ Hydrangea – its blooms, adorned by frilly edges, alternate from a rich pink in neutral soil to a vibrant blue in acidic conditions. Unlike the more sprawling varieties, it’s compact enough for patio containers or raised beds. 

5.  Cityline Mars Hydrangea

With its beautifully variegated petals, 'Cityline Mars' variety of Hydrangea macrophylla is a gardener’s delight. Flowers on a single plant may boast multiple colors depending on soil conditions. Naturally compact in growth, it does not need any pruning. 

6. Blue Deckle Hydrangea (Hydrangea serrata) 

A flower that emulates the look of lace, 'Blue Deckle' blooms in dreamy, cascading drifts. It is a good choice for woodland gardens and in mixed, herbaceous borders. The colors are less intense, taking on an impressionistic quality, though when autumn comes, the foliage turns colors of red and purple. Avoid intense sun, as the flowers are prone to burning. 

7. Tuff Stuff Ah-Ha® Mountain hydrangea (H. serrata)

At first glance, this delicate hydrangea does not fit its brazen moniker, but its ring of waterlily-like florets belies a tough exterior. It’s a prolific bloomer that works tirelessly to produce new flower buds all throughout the summer, allowing it to bloom longer than conventional hydrangeas. Flowers are cold-tolerant and won’t mind the temperatures of zones 5 – 6. 

8. Vanilla Strawberry™ Hydrangea

Imagine a scoop of vanilla ice cream topped with sun-ripened strawberries – right in your garden. Bring your vision to life with Vanilla Strawberry™ hydrangea, a low maintenance plant that produces highly visual flowerheads starting midsummer. Flowers are borne on red stems, adding visual contrast.  

9. Barbara Ann Climbing Hydrangea

Flowers are like hair: the more volume they have, generally the more attractive they appear. Climbing hydrangeas like this variety may not have the showiest flowers, but it's one of the few plants that can safely grow on the walls of your house. It can be slow growing, but once established, can spread more than 40 ft. Allow it to adhere to the walls of your house or a fence. 

10. Annabelle Hydrangea

White – the color of purity – can be a good foundational point in the garden. Hydrangea arborescens 'Annabelle' is a mounding hydrangea that produces serene, pure white flowerheads. Let it drift along informal borders in partial shade. Because it blooms on new wood, gardeners choose to cut its stems to the ground in winter. 

11. Cherry-Go-Round® Hydrangea

Cherry-Go-Round® Hydrangea may be compact, but it’s full of fire, bursting onto the scene with cherry-colored mophead blooms. Its exquisite flowers, supported by stolid stems, are wonderful for cut flower arrangements. Pollinators are attracted to its flowers; during the winter, bees will nest in the hollows of its stems. 

12. Madame Emile Mouillere Hydrangea 

An old French variety, 'Madame Emile Mouillere' produces a generous heaping of white flowers. It prefers loose, well-drained soils under the shade of tall, deciduous trees. While most things don’t get better with age, this variety is a notable exception – its blooms will transition to a heavenly pale pink or blue as they age. 

13. Hydrangea macrophylla 'LA Dreamin''

If the thought of choosing gives you a headache, look no further than LA Dreamin' Hydrangea, a hydrangea that has all the colors in one – a disco fusion of blue, pink, and lilac. A reblooming cultivar, it is well-suited to hotter climates. 

14. Eclipse® Bigleaf Hydrangea

For something truly unique, try the Hydrangea macrophylla Eclipse®, a sensational shrub whose bright magenta flowers dance above dark foliage. Bred to be resistant to common hydrangea diseases, it keeps its good looks all summer long. It’s not recommended that you cut it back after mid-June or prune later in the season for fear of halting flower growth. Only prune in early spring by trimming off the brown stems.