Hydrangea Care and Our Most Beautiful Varieties

How to plant a Hydrangea

Spacing between plants should be determined by the specific type of hydrangea being cultivated. It’s advisable to consult the plant tag for guidance. It’s worth noting that hydrangeas planted in shaded areas typically exhibit slightly larger growth and increased spreading. When planting hydrangeas, dig a hole about twice as wide as the container’s diameter in which the hydrangea was originally grown. Position the plant in the hole at the same depth as it was in the original pot, and backfill with the aforementioned 50-50 soil mixture. Ensure thorough watering immediately after planting.

A hydrangea in full bloom never fails to leave us starry-eyed. Nothing quite compares to these classic, beloved flowering shrubs—it’s no wonder they’ve remained so popular over the years! However, with so many distinctive varieties with their own unique colors, shapes, and bloom styles, there’s endless potential to create extraordinary landscape designs that stand out from the rest. Here’s an overview of how to care for your hydrangeas and the many different varieties you can grow here in Illinois. 

The Four Main Varieties of Hydrangeas

There are several different varieties of hydrangeas, but they typically fall in one of four categories: 

• macrophylla
  
  
• paniculata
  
  
• arborescens

• quercifolia

Each type of hydrangea has unique characteristics, making them suitable for different functions and designs within the landscape.

We’ll explain how you can best incorporate different hydrangea varieties in your landscape and any important care tips unique to each variety.

Hydrangea macrophylla

For big, bold color that lights up the landscape, look no further than Hydrangea macrophylla. These varieties are often repeat-bloomers, so deadheading spent blooms will help extend their bloom time. These hydrangeas are all drama with an arching growth habit and large, weighty blooms! In winter, it almost entirely dies back to about ⅓ of its previous size, but in spring, it will bounce back with even more vigor!

If you need to prune your Hydrangea bush or Hydrangea macrophylla bushes, do it in summer immediately after their blooms have faded. If you prune in spring, you’ll remove their flower buds, leaving you with a bloomless shrub! 

‘Endless Summer’ is one of the most popular cultivars, with an extremely long bloom period, due to its blooming on both new wood and old wood. Its blooms are pH reactive, so in acidic conditions, they’ll turn blue, and in alkaline conditions, they’ll turn pink. You can create absolutely stunning marbled hydrangeas by altering the pH of the soil in small patches. Some dolomitic lime will turn blue flowers pink, and elemental sulfur will turn the pink ones blue. 

Most Hydrangea macrophylla, or “mophead” varieties, reach around 3–5 feet tall, making them perfect for borders and foundation planting. If you’d like something smaller for a more modestly sized yard or as an accent plant in the garden bed, dwarf cultivars like ‘Pink Elf’ will max out at 24 inches tall. 

Hydrangea paniculata

Voluminous, cone-shaped blooms emerge mid-summer, typically beginning as white or lime green, then transitioning to shades of rosy pink, or cream as they mature, creating a stunning prismatic effect. Blooms last an incredibly long time with very minimal maintenance required—low effort, high reward! 

Taller varieties with an upright growth habit are fantastic for high-impact curb appeal. Use them for foundation planting, then plant shorter flowering plants in front, for a spectacular scene that looks straight off the pages of a storybook. 

Panicle hydrangeas bloom on new wood, so late winter is a great time to prune them—around late February or March before their spring growth begins. 

‘Pinky Winky’ is a colossal cultivar reaching 6–8 feet tall, so it’s a perfect shrub for privacy hedging. Flowers emerge a creamy white but fade to rich cherry pink. The blooms at the tip of each panicle change color last, so you’ll often see pink panicles with a frosted white tip, like a scoop of cherry sherbet topped with a dollop of whipped cream.

‘Bobo’ and ‘Little Lime’ are smaller cultivars, reaching 2–3 and 3–4 feet tall, respectively. You’ll love watching their pistachio green petals start to develop flushes of pink—they look like shiny opals gleaming in the sunlight!

Hydrangea arborescens

Commonly known as “Snowball” hydrangeas, but technically called “smooth” hydrangeas, these varieties are incredibly cold-hardy and low-maintenance. They have an arching growth and heavy blooms, so it’s common for them to take on a “weeping” shape. Most Hydrangea arborescens will reach a height of around 3–5 feet, making them a versatile shrub for landscapes of any size.

Like panicle hydrangeas, Hydrangea arborescens bloom on new wood, so we recommend pruning them in late winter or early spring. 

White blooming varieties like the ever-popular ‘Annabelle’ bring a dreamy, ethereal look to the scenery, like cotton candy clouds. They’re especially beautiful at night when the moonlight hits their pearly white petals! 

‘Incrediball Blush’ is another unique and beloved cultivar with dusty mauve petals that add a sense of vintage charm and romance to the landscape.  

Hydrangea quercifolia

Last but not least, the Hydrangea quercifolia is a truly stunning shrub known for its luscious blooms and distinctive foliage. Commonly referred to as the “Oakleaf” hydrangea, these varieties have pretty lobed leaves, just like an oak tree. Its blooms are long-lasting, large, and elongated like Hydrangea paniculata, but with a dramatic arching shape like Hydrangea macrophylla. In autumn, you’ll love watching their oak leaves transition, warming up the scenery with blazing orange, red, deep purple, and bronze tones.

Oakleaf hydrangea varieties bloom on old wood, so your best bet is to trim them immediately after their flowers fade so that you won’t lose out on next year’s blooms!

Varieties like ‘Gatsby Pink’ and ‘Gatsby Star‘ reach up to 8 feet tall and wide for a big splash of color and beautiful texture that always gets noticed. 

Smaller cultivars like ‘Pee Wee’ only reach 3 feet tall, so they’re ideal for garden beds and small spaces.

‘Ruby Slippers’ is a real showstopper, with flowers that emerge as white, transitioning to pink, then rich ruby red! Those blushing blooms contrast beautifully against their emerald green foliage, and at 4 feet tall and 5 feet wide at maturity, it’s the perfect size for a statement plant.

Explore all the breathtaking hydrangea varieties for sale in Illinois by visiting one of our garden center locations in Bloomingdale and Carpentersville. You’ll be amazed at how these dramatic, high-impact shrubs completely transform your landscape, bringing a sense of magic and wonder to the scenery. If there’s a specific type of hydrangea that you’re searching for, feel free to contact our team, and we’ll help you find something that suits your unique style and space!

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