This is an old school serrata, or mountain hydrangea, called “Blue Bird.” (Sunnyside Nursery)
This is an old school serrata, or mountain hydrangea, called “Blue Bird.” (Sunnyside Nursery)

This is an old school serrata, or mountain hydrangea, called “Blue Bird.” (Sunnyside Nursery) This is an old school serrata, or mountain hydrangea, called “Blue Bird.” (Sunnyside Nursery)

From mopheads to vining varieties, here are 6 hydrangeas to brighten up your yard

You can’t beat hydrangeas for summer color. And with so many varieties, you can plant them throughout your yard.

When I say the word hydrangea, most of us immediately think of the traditional mophead shrub — with big leaves and big, ball-shaped flowers — that grows in the shade and sports mostly blue to purple flowers in our acidic Northwest soils.

The truth is that there are dozens of species of hydrangea, but most of the cultivated varieties fall into about six species — including two that are North American natives — and while some prefer shade, others actually grow best in full sun. There are even several vining varieties that are self-clinging and will attach themselves to a fence or clamor up to the tippy top of a tree.

In any typical yard, you can easily find multiple locations where a hydrangea will thrive. The real challenge is in winnowing down the choices.

ADVERTISEMENT
0 seconds of 0 secondsVolume 0%
Press shift question mark to access a list of keyboard shortcuts
00:00
00:00
00:00
 

In my old garden, I had two different vining types, a couple of sun lovers, four different shade varieties and even an oddball arboreal specimen (aspera) that was 12 feet tall. So far in my new garden, I only have a few planted, but I am still just getting started. There is, after all, always room for one more hydrangea — or any plant, for that matter.

In the last 10 to 15 years, there has been a massive proliferation of new and improved forms of hydrangea. For the most part, the breeders have made the shade-loving mopheads more compact and repeat bloomers so that they fit better into our smaller lots and bloom for a much longer time, even if they are pruned improperly or Mother Nature kills them down to the ground.

As for the sun-loving “Pee Gee” hydrangeas that traditionally only came in white, you can now choose from multiple varieties that start out white but quickly mature to lovely tones of pink or red and eventually to a warm rust. And of course, these new forms are also much more compact, which makes them easier to manage. Some are even so tight that they work well in a container.

Because it can feel overwhelming to go into a garden center in July and see all the options for hydrangeas, I reached out to Sunnyside Nursery’s general manager, Trevor Cameron, and asked him to name six of his favorites, which is not an easy thing to do for a plant nerd. Here are his recommendations.

Two outstanding features in this “Fire Island” collection from Monrovia Nurseries are the bicolor flowers and bronzy new foliage. (Sunnyside Nursery)
Two outstanding features in this “Fire Island” collection from Monrovia Nurseries are the bicolor flowers and bronzy new foliage. (Sunnyside Nursery)

Two outstanding features in this “Fire Island” collection from Monrovia Nurseries are the bicolor flowers and bronzy new foliage. (Sunnyside Nursery) Two outstanding features in this “Fire Island” collection from Monrovia Nurseries are the bicolor flowers and bronzy new foliage. (Sunnyside Nursery)

Pop Star – Part of the “Endless Summer” collection from Bailey Nurseries, this is a super compact lacecap that only reaches 2 to 3 feet tall and just as wide, and blooms prolifically. By the way, a lacecap is simply a more delicate looking mophead.

Summer Crush – Another choice in the “Endless Summer” collection, “Summer Crush” blooms in a rich raspberry red to purple — a nice change from all the blue forms available. Since 2004, Bailey Nurseries has introduced six in this line, and you can recognize them all by their blue pots.

Fire Island — From Monrovia Nurseries, this is part of their “Seaside Serenade” series. Two outstanding features in this collection are the bicolor flowers and bronzy new foliage — dark foliage is something new in hydrangea varieties. I first observed this phenomenon in 2016 when touring a private garden in New Zealand where a “Miss Saori” hydrangea was growing. Since then, there have been several new introductions, including ‘’Pink Dynamo” and “Firefly.”

Everlasting Revolution — This comes from Dutch breeders and was developed originally for the floral industry. The blooms are huge with thick stems, and it changes colors throughout the season. You can see combinations of deep ink and maroon with green highlights to magenta and true blue, all at the same time. It is absolutely kaleidoscopic!

Blue Bird — This is an old school serrata, or mountain hydrangea — they look about the same as the big leaf or “macrophylla” types but are hardier and sport superior fall color. All “serrata” varieties have lacecap flowers and often have bronzy new foliage.

Vanilla Strawberry — This is a sun-loving “Pee Gee” variety from the “First Editions” series, another introduction from Bailey Nurseries. Huge panicles, or cone-shaped flower heads, start out pure white and eventually fade to pink. This variety, like many “Pee Gee” types, is often ground into standards, or single trunk tree forms, that work well in smaller yards as a small accent tree.

This “Pop Star” variety from Bailey Nurseries is a super compact lacecap that only reaches 2 to 3 feet tall and just as wide, and blooms prolifically. (Sunnyside Nursery)
This “Pop Star” variety from Bailey Nurseries is a super compact lacecap that only reaches 2 to 3 feet tall and just as wide, and blooms prolifically. (Sunnyside Nursery)

This “Pop Star” variety from Bailey Nurseries is a super compact lacecap that only reaches 2 to 3 feet tall and just as wide, and blooms prolifically. (Sunnyside Nursery) This “Pop Star” variety from Bailey Nurseries is a super compact lacecap that only reaches 2 to 3 feet tall and just as wide, and blooms prolifically. (Sunnyside Nursery)

July is the perfect time to scope out the many options available to Northwest gardeners — from new and improved selections that stay compact and repeat bloom to old timers that can grow into 8- to 10-foot specimens for those larger landscapes. Or even climbers that will self-adhere to a wood or masonry wall (probably best to keep them off your home’s siding), to a North American native like an Oakleaf hydrangea that loves the sun, or a Smooth hydrangea like “Incrediball” with flowers the size of basketballs.

There is a hydrangea out there waiting to be adopted from the nursery and taken home to your garden — carpe diem and make it happen! The days are long and there is lots of time for planting.

Free class

The next free class at Sunnyside Nursery in Marysville will be “DIY Fun With Succulents” at 10 a.m. Saturday, July 8. For more information, go to www.sunnysidenursery.net/classes.

Steve Smith represents Sunnyside Nursery in Marysville. He can be reached at sunnysidenursery@msn.com.

Talk to us

> Give us your news tips.

> Send us a letter to the editor.

> More Herald contact information.

More in Life

Photo courtesy of Kristi Nebel
Folk duo Steve and Kristi Nebel will be among the musical acts performing at the Edmonds Arts Festival, which takes place Friday through Sunday.
Photo courtesy of Kristi Nebel
Folk duo Steve and Kristi Nebel will be among the musical acts performing at the Edmonds Arts Festival, which takes place Friday through Sunday.
Coming events in Snohomish County

Send calendar submissions for print and online to features@heraldnet.com. To ensure your… Continue reading

Cascadia College Earth and Environmental Sciences Professor Midori Sakura looks in the surrounding trees for wildlife at the North Creek Wetlands on Wednesday, June 4, 2025 in Bothell, Washington. (Olivia Vanni / The Herald)
Cascadia College ecology students teach about the importance of wetlands

To wrap up the term, students took family and friends on a guided tour of the North Creek wetlands.

Kim Crane talks about a handful of origami items on display inside her showroom on Monday, Feb. 17, 2025, in Snohomish, Washington. (Olivia Vanni / The Herald)
Crease is the word: Origami fans flock to online paper store

Kim’s Crane in Snohomish has been supplying paper crafters with paper, books and kits since 1995.

A woman flips through a book at the Good Cheer Thrift Store in Langley. (Olivia Vanni / The Herald)
Pop some tags at Good Cheer Thrift Store in Langley

$20 buys an outfit, a unicycle — or a little Macklemore magic. Sales support the food bank.

Audi SQ8 Wows In Motion Or At Rest. Photo provided by Audi America MediaCenter.
2025 Audi SQ8 Is A Luxury, Hot Rod, SUV

500 Horsepower and 4.0-Second, 0-To-60 MPH Speed

The Mukilteo Boulevard Homer on Monday, May 12, 2025 in Everett, Washington. (Olivia Vanni / The Herald)
‘Homer Hedge’: A Simpsons meme takes root in Everett — D’oh!

Homer has been lurking in the bushes on West Mukilteo Boulevard since 2023. Stop by for a selfie.

Sarah and Cole Rinehardt, owners of In The Shadow Brewing, on Wednesday, March 12, 2025 in Arlington, Washington. (Olivia Vanni / The Herald)
In The Shadow Brewing: From backyard brews to downtown cheers

Everything seems to have fallen into place at the new taproom location in downtown Arlington

Bar manager Faith Britton pours a beer for a customer at the Madison Avenue Pub in Everett. (Olivia Vanni / The Herald)
Burgers, brews and blues: Madison Avenue Pub has it all

Enjoy half-price burgers on Tuesday, prime rib specials and live music at the Everett mainstay.

Ellis Johnson, 16, left, and brother Garrett Johnson, 13, take a breather after trying to find enough water to skim board on without sinking into the sand during opening day of Jetty Island on Friday, July 5, 2019 in Everett, Wash. (Olivia Vanni / The Herald)
Epic ways to spice up your summer

Your ultimate guide to adventure, fun and reader-approved favorites!

Ian Terry / The Herald

Rose Freeman (center) and Anastasia Allison play atop Sauk Mountain near Concrete on Thursday, Oct. 5. The pair play violin and piano together at sunrise across the Cascades under the name, The Musical Mountaineers.

Photo taken on 10052017
Adopt A Stream Foundation hosts summer concert on June 14

The concert is part of the nonprofit’s effort to raise $1.5 million for a new Sustainable Ecosystem Lab.

People walk during low tide at Picnic Point Park on Sunday, March 3, 2024 in Edmonds, Washington. (Annie Barker / The Herald)
Beach cleanup planned for Picnic Point in Edmonds

Snohomish Marine Resources Committee and Washington State University Beach Watchers host volunteer event at Picnic Point.

Edie Carroll trims plants at Baker's Acres Nursery during Sorticulture on Friday, June 6, 2025 in Everett, Washington. (Olivia Vanni / The Herald)
Sorticulture, Everett’s garden festival, is in full swing

The festival will go through Sunday evening and has over 120 local and regional vendors.

Support local journalism

If you value local news, make a gift now to support the trusted journalism you get in The Daily Herald. Donations processed in this system are not tax deductible.