Enhance your landscape with these graceful shrubs.By Janet Loughrey, Garden Writer & Photographer
Hydrangeas, one of the most beloved landscape plants, are revered for their large dramatic blooms that add long-lasting color to the garden in summer and fall. These romantic shrubs come in many white flowering varieties, adding timeless beauty to any yard. The color white complements most other hues, helping to cool down the landscape during the heat of summer.
Many white hydrangea flowers have tinges of other colors that can shift as the flowers age for a more captivating display. These versatile shrubs can be planted by themselves or combined with other plants in borders, foundation plantings, beds, mass plantings, or containers. With so many different flower forms and plant sizes, there’s sure to be a white hydrangea bush that’s right for you. Here are some of the best varieties to try.
TYPES OF WHITE HYDRANGEAS
Photo by: Proven Winners.
INCREDIBALL® — Buy now from Proven Winners
Smooth hydrangea (H. arborescens)
Zones: 3-8Habit: Upright bushy habit
Height/Spread: 4 to 5 feet tall and wide
Bloom time: Summer
Flower color: White flowers age to pale jade green
An improved version of the classic ‘Annabelle’ hydrangea, Incrediball® has larger flowers and sturdy stems that won’t flop. The showy snowball-like flowers begin blooming in mid-summer, reaching the size of basketballs. Use this medium-sized shrub in foundation plantings, as hedging or a stand-alone accent.
Photo by: Proven Winners.
LIMELIGHT PRIME® — Buy now from Proven Winners
Panicle hydrangea (H. paniculata)
Zones: 3-9Habit: Upright bushy habit
Height/Spread: 4 to 6 feet tall, 4 to 5 feet wide
Bloom time: Early summer to fall
Flower color: Pale white and lime-green, fading to shades of pink
The next generation of ‘Limelight’ is even better than the original. Limelight Prime® blooms earlier with bolder, brighter colors. This unique panicle or peegee hydrangea produces huge cone-shaped white flowers with tones of pale green, aging to colors of pink, red, and burgundy for months of continuous interest. Use this larger variety as privacy screening, hedging, or as a stand-alone specimen. The flowers are long-lasting in cut bouquets or dried arrangements.
Learn more about 'Limelight' hydrangeas.
Photo by: Proven Winners.
LITTLE LIME® — Buy now from Proven Winners
Panicle hydrangea (H. paniculata)
Zones: 3-8Habit: Mounding bushy habit
Height/Spread: 3 to 5 feet tall and wide
Bloom time: Summer to fall
Flower color: Pale white, green, pink, and burgundy
Related to ‘Limelight’, this dwarf type is suitable for small spaces, containers, low hedging, foundation, and mass plantings. Slightly oblong flowers start out creamy white with hints of soft green, acquiring tones of pink and burgundy in fall. The sturdy stems and long-lasting flowers are useful in fresh and dried arrangements.
Photo by: Proven Winners.
INVINCIBELLE LIMETTA® — Buy now from Proven Winners
Smooth hydrangea (H. arborescens)
Zones: 3-8Habit: Dwarf rounded habit
Height/Spread: 3 to 4 feet tall and wide
Bloom time: Summer to fall
Flower color: Pale green-white flowers
Globe-shaped creamy white flowers with pale chartreuse-green tones add refreshing coolness to the summer garden. Flowers darken to jade-green as they age. The dwarf stature is useful for containers, mixed borders, and small spaces.
Photo by: Proven Winners.
BOBO® — Buy now from Proven Winners
Panicle hydrangea (H. paniculata)
Zones: 3-8Habit: Compact dwarf habit
Height/Spread: 3 feet tall, 3 to 4 feet wide
Bloom time: Summer to fall
Flower color: White flowers age to pink
Prolific cone-shaped flowers occur all the way down to the ground on dense mounding plants. The delicate white panicles fade to pale pink, becoming bright pink as they age. Plant this compact variety in containers, foundation or mass plantings, or as low hedging.
Photo by: Proven Winners.
GATSBY GAL® — Buy now from Proven Winners
Oakleaf hydrangea (H. quercifolia)
Zones: 5-9Habit: Upright bushy habit
Height/Spread: 5 to 6 feet tall and wide
Bloom time: Summer to fall
Color: White flowers age to dusky pink; green foliage turns burgundy-red in fall
Elongated cone-shaped flowers produce large pure white panicles, with blooms that stand majestically upright. The attractive deeply lobed foliage turns rich burgundy in fall. With a mature size that is smaller than many other oakleaf hydrangeas, this variety is suitable for smaller spaces, foundation plantings, and woodland borders.
Photo by: Proven Winners.
GATSBY MOON® — Buy now from Proven Winners
Oakleaf hydrangea (H. quercifolia)
Zones: 5-9Habit: Upright bushy habit
Height/Spread: 6 to 8 feet tall and wide
Bloom time: Summer to fall
Color: White flowers age to lime green; green foliage turns burgundy-red in fall
Creamy-white broad cone-shaped flower heads develop hints of lime green as they age. The tightly packed double florets are weather-resistant. Foliage turns spectacular wine-red in fall. Use this larger variety as privacy hedging, in mixed borders, or as a stand-alone specimen.
Photo by: Proven Winners.
INVINCIBELLE WEE WHITE® — Buy now from Proven Winners
Smooth hydrangea (H. arborescens)
Zones: 3-8Habit: Dwarf mounding habit
Height/Spread: 1 to 3 feet tall and wide
Bloom time: Summer to fall
Flower color: Pink flowers age to white
This unique variety is the first dwarf type of ‘Annabelle’ hydrangea. Large dome-shaped flowers on sturdy upright stems emerge in a soft blush pink, fading to pure white as they age. Plant this versatile shrub in containers, mass plantings, small spaces, to divide garden rooms, or as edging.
Photo by: Proven Winners.
'LITTLE LAMB' — Buy now from Proven Winners
Panicle hydrangea (H. paniculata)
Zones: 3-8Habit: Upright bushy habit
Height/Spread: 4 to 6 feet tall and wide
Bloom time: Summer to fall
Flower color: White flowers age to pink
Tiny delicate flower panicles are the smallest of any hydrangea, with a pure white color that develops hints of dusky pink in fall. Use this medium-sized plant as hedging, in foundation, or mass plantings. The unique flowers are attractive in fresh bouquets or dried arrangements.
Photo by: Proven Winners.
FAIRYTRAIL BRIDE® — Buy now from Proven Winners
Cascade hydrangea (Hydrangea hybrid)
Zones: 6-9Habit: Upright spreading habit
Height/Spread: 4 feet tall and wide
Bloom time: Summer
Flower color: White with a hint of pink
The first Cascade hydrangea available in the U.S., this hybrid is characterized by an unusual horizontal growth habit and deckle-edged petals that create a delicate lacy effect in the landscape. Plant this compact variety in containers, as a stand-alone accent, in mass plantings or mixed borders.
