Better Homes & Gardens Endless Summer Summer Crush Hydrangea

Endless Summer 'Bloomstruck' Hydrangea flowers

Credit: Kritsada Panichgul

Hydrangea flowers can generally be broken down into two main groups: mophead hydrangea and lacecap hydrangea. Each group contains a gorgeous assortment of species and varieties, which can fill different areas in your garden. Here's a look at some of the most colorful options, and how to care for them so you get the most blooms possible.

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Mopheads

Blue mophead hydrangea

Credit: Emily Followill Photography

Mophead hydrangeas offer big, dome-shaped clusters of flowers in blue, pink, or white. Most mopheads bloom in late spring or early summer but make their flower buds the year before you see them. As you care for this type of hydrangea, know that it is best to prune them in early summer, right after the flowers fade. Most mophead hydrangeas grow best in a spot with moist, well-drained soil and a bit of afternoon shade.

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Big Daddy

'Big Daddy' hydrangea

Credit: Lynn Karlin Photography

One of the showiest mophead hydrangeas you can grow, Big Daddy is a variety of bigleaf hydrangea (Hydrangea macrophylla) that features huge, 14 inch-wide clusters of blue or pink blooms. The long-lasting flowers are great for cutting because they have strong stems. The plant's large flowers, however, can make the stems flop if you grow the plant in extra-rich soil or too much shade. It grows six feet tall and wide in Zones 5-9.

Buy It: Big Daddy Hydrangea ($50, Etsy)

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Pink Shira

Pink Shira hydrangea

Credit: Peter Krumhardt

A relatively new bigleaf hydrangea variety with mophead flowers, Pink Shira is a variety of Hydrangea macrophylla with strong stems, compact habit, and long-lasting blooms. Its flowers start out a lovely shade of lime green then turn pink or lavender (this one doesn't go blue). It grows five feet tall and six feet wide in Zones 5-9.

Buy It: Pink Hydrangea Macrophylla ($38, The Home Depot)

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Cityline Paris

Cityline Paris hydrangea

Credit: Studio Au King

Cityline Paris is another recent mophead hydrangea introduction that stands out because of its upright stems and compact habit. It features bright fuchsia-pink flowers that last a long time before fading to a lovely shade of green in summer. It grows three feet tall and three feet wide in Zones 5-9.

Buy It: Cityline Paris Bigleaf Hydrangea ($60, Etsy)

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Cityline Mars

close up of bicolored hydrangea flowers

Credit: Courtesy of Proven Winners

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Black-Stem Hydrangea

Black-stem hydrangea

Credit: David Speer

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Lacecaps

Lacecap hydrangea

Credit: Bryan E. McCay

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'Lanarth White'

Lanarth White' hydrangea

Credit: Bill Stites/EYESWEET INC

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Rough-Leaf Hydrangea

Rough-Leaf hydrangea

Credit: Mike Jensen

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Light-O-Day

Hydrangea 'Light-O-Day'

Credit: Studio Au King

You'll love this hydrangea's beautiful foliage, even if it doesn't bloom for you. Light-O-Day is a Hydrangea macrophylla variety that features rich green foliage broadly edged in white. The white lacecap flowers are an attractive complement to the foliage. This shrub grows five feet tall and wide in Zones 5-9. 'Mariesii Variegata' also offers white-edged foliage; 'Lemon Wave' features a wide banding of mottled white, cream, and yellow around the leaves.

Buy It: Light-O-Day Hydrangea ($42, Jackson & Perkins)

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Reblooming Hydrangeas

Several clusters of pink hydrangea blooms surrounded by green leaves

Credit: Courtesy of White Flower Farm

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Endless Summer

Endless Summer Blue Hydrangea macrophylla

Credit: Erica George Dines

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Blue Bunny

Blue Bunny hydrangea

Credit: Marty Baldwin

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Let's Dance Starlight

Let's Dance Starlight hydrangea

Credit: Studio Au King

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About Flower Color

Pink Hydrangea

Credit: Alise O'Brien Photography

Mophead hydrangeas and many lacecap hydrangeas are sensitive to soil pH, and the blooms reflect this. In acidic soils, flowers tend to be blue; in more alkaline soils, blooms tend be more pink. So if you'd like to change the color of your blooms as you learn how to care for your hydrangeas, know that you have to add soil sulfur to make them more blue and add lime to make them more pink.

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About Fall Foliage

Fall Foliage

Credit: Marty Baldwin

Mophead and lacecap varieties of Hydrangea macrophylla typically feature attractive fall foliage in shades of red and burgundy. The coloration varies from type to type, so if a fall show is important to you, shop in autumn or research which selections color up the best at the end of the growing season.

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'Annabelle' Hydrangea

Hydrangea 'Annabelle'

Credit: Emily Followill Photography

A cousin to mopheads and lacecaps, 'Annabelle' hydrangea (Hydrangea arborescens 'Annabelle') is one of the hardiest types of hydrangeas and is native to North America. It blooms in summer, producing large snowy-white clusters of showy florets. For that, it's sometimes called snowball hydrangea. 'Annabelle' is also one of the best hydrangeas for deep shade. It blooms on new wood, so the best time to prune it is late winter or early spring. It grows four feet tall and wide in Zones 4-9.

Buy It:Annabelle Hydrangea ($10, Michigan Bulb)

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