59 Gorgeous Hydrangea Varieties

Hydrangeas are classics — favored for their old-fashioned charm in the form of large flowerheads that bloom in variations of lavender, blue, pink and red (and gardeners can control the color by altering soil pH). Hydrangeas also are considered to be pest and disease resistant, though not completely trouble-free.

Hydrangeas come in a variety of species (six commonly grown in American gardens) and sizes. If space is tight in your yard, you can still enjoy lush hydrangea blooms with a small variety such as Let’s Dance 'Rave' reblooming hydrangea (above), which grows 2 to 3 feet tall and wide. Flower color shifts from a deep violet-purple in acid soils to pink in basic soils. Use this reblooming hydrangea in containers, as a specimen plant, to edge planting beds or as an informal hedge. Hardy in Zones 5-9. Continue to see more of our favorite hydrangea varieties.

'Starlight' requires regular watering and partial shade to full sun. This repeat bloomer produces vivid coloration and glossy foliage - great for mass plantings, containers or cutting.

Use this dwarf, reblooming beauty, Let's Dance 'Diva!', in part sun to sun. It tops out at 2 to 3 feet with big, pink or blue flowers in zones 5 to 9.

A reliable reblooming hydrangea, this beauty has large, vivid mop-head flowers that change from pinkish-green to pink and sometimes back to green. If you love to cut hydrangeas, this one is for you.

This hydrangea delights all year long beginning with it's vibrant, mop-head blooms in the summer and continuing through fall when it offers great fall foliage colors.

This part sun to sun shrub yields long-lasting flowers. It grows well in both landscapes and containers, but if you grow it in a container, it should be planted in the ground in the fall. 

Maturing at just 1 to 3 feet tall, Cityline 'Paris' is a bigleaf, dwarf hydrangea developed in Germany. This shrub takes partial shade to full sun in zones 5 to 9. The intensely red-pink flowers become green with age.

You can't go wrong with Cityline 'Berlin' hydrangeas. They have thick, glossy, deeply quilted foliage and big, full flower heads. 

This bigleaf hydrangea hails from Germany. Extremely disease-resistant, it opens deep pink flowers that turn green as they mature. Give it partial shade to full sun in zones 5 to 9; at only 1 to 3 feet tall, it's ideal for containers.

The smallest of the Cityline series, Vienna also blooms blue or pink, depending on the acidity of the soil. Learn how to change the color of your blooms with these tips.

Perk up perennial beds and borders in your landscape with hydrangeas that keep the blooms coming. 'Quick Fire' flowers up to a month before other hydrangeas; the white blooms gradually turn pink and become dark rose-pink by fall.

Hydrangea 'Preziosa' produces dark purplish stems and rose pink sterile florets deepening to ruby red in autumn. Truly among the most popular hydrangeas in the garden.

Hydrangea serrata 'Bluebird' has blue central fertile florets encircled with blue to purple sterile florets on a lovely lacecap cultivar with serrated leaves. The small, dark blue sepals fall to the ground like fluorescent blue confetti.

Grow Hydrangea arborescens 'Grandiflora' in average, well-drained soil in part-shade.

Hydrangeas display a beautiful antiquity. The 'Nikko Blue' is a mophead variety with rounded, blue blooms.

'Bloomstruck' a reblooming hydrangea variety. It's said to be more tolerant of winter cold and summer heat than previous reblooming types.

'Lady in Red' bears pinkish-white lacecape flowers with dark red veins and stems. Use it in zones 6 to 9, and watch the green foliage turn an attractive red-purple in fall.

Grow 'Nigra' in zones 6 to 9 in part shade, or keep the plant well-watered if it receives a lot of sun. The blooms are pink in alkaline soils and blue in acidic soils. You may be able to grow this hydrangea in zone 5 if you plant it in a protected location and give it plenty of mulch in the winter; a burlap wrap can also help.

'Merritt's Supreme' is a bigleaf hydrangea that produces rose or reddish-colored blooms from July into August. Use it in zones 6 to 9, and expect blue blooms if your soil is highly acidic.

'Early Sensation' is a cultivar in the Forever and Ever hydrangea series. For zones 4 to 9, it thrives in your garden or in large containers. For best results, give it cool, morning sun and some afternoon shade. Blooms will be pink or blue, depending on the soil's pH.

It’s easy to fall in love with new 'Summer Crush’, a reblooming hydrangea with flowers that range from raspberry-red to neon purple. The shrubs are happy in full sun to part shade, and at 2-1/2' tall, they're compact enough to grow in containers. 'Summer Crush' goes on sale in the spring of 2019.

You'll need a little patience to score a 'Berry White' hydrangea. Like 'Summer Crush,' these low-maintenance shrubs won't be available in garden centers until the spring of 2019. In most soils, their big, cone-shaped flowers open white and turn dark pink, but your pH and climate can affect the color. This new Hydrangea paniculata takes full sun to part shade. Hardy in Zones 3-8, it grows 6-7’ tall.

Unlike many hydrangeas, 'Miss Saori' keeps its original flower color, no matter what kind of soil you have. The shrubs produce doubled, white blooms edged in soft rose-pink that last into the fall. Hardy in Zones 5-9, these mophead hydrangeas, which were bred in Tokyo, prefer full to partial sun. Try them in the border or containers, where they’ll grow to about 40" tall.

Think vanilla ice cream topped with fresh strawberries. The blooms on 'Strawberry Sundae’ start out creamy white and change from pink to strawberry red as the nights grow cooler. Recommended for Zones 3-8, this hydrangea tops out at 4-5’ high, so it fits nicely in small garden spaces or containers. Snip the flowers to make fresh bouquets or let them dry for long-lasting arrangements.