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10 Compact Hydrangeas That Still Deliver Big Blooms
These pint-size plants will add major color and interest to your yard—without taking it over.
Just like forsythia and crocus suggest spring, hydrangeas are the harbinger of summer—especially near the coast. But you don’t need a beach house to appreciate woody shrubs full of large, colorful flower orbs that range from pinks and reds to purple and blues, with some shades of white and green along the way. But as showstopping as a hydrangea can be, especially when they brighten a shady corner of the yard, they can be ... a little much.
Depending on the type, some hydrangeas can get to 15 feet tall and 12 feet wide. So that riot of color can mushroom out of control over time. “I often see larger hydrangeas planted in the wrong space,” says landscape designer N. Barbara Conolly, of Gardens by Barbara Conolly, in East Falmouth, Massachusetts. “They can take up valuable window space in a foundation planting or crowd out the neighboring plants, encouraging the gardener to have to prune it every year.”
Compact habits are what hydrangea breeders have focused on over the last few years. These newer cultivars, often a version of hydrangea macrophylla, paniculata, or a hybrid paired with serrata, keep all the elements gardeners love about these flowering shrubs, but on a smaller scale. Most top out at about 3 or 4 feet tall and wide, which opens up a new way to use them, while still holding onto traits like attracting pollinators and, in some cases, reblooming all summer.
“Using the smaller 3 x 3-foot hydrangeas in containers is a great feature for the center of a large container or all by itself in a mid-sized one,” Conolly says. “But perhaps what I love the most is to put them under windows that may be close to ground level where the plants will never outgrow their space and require little to no pruning.”
Here, our favorite of the new crop of smaller hydrangeas that still deliver a big punch of flowers that can start in spring and last into the fall.
Where some hydrangeas might be kind of pink, Frill Ride blooms with saturated, ruffled pink to red flowers forming a mophead that starts in spring. Underneath, dark green leaves provided excellent contrast. Rebloomer that changes color depending on soil pH. Grows 2 to 3 feet tall and wide in zones 5 to 9.
Starting in spring, this mophead emerges with dense clusters of blue-violet to reddish flowers before aging to deep pink in the fall. The stiff stems make this an excellent cut flower too. Rebloomer that changes color depending on soil pH. Grows up to 4 feet tall and wide in zones 4 to 9.
Endless Summer 2 Gal. Pop Star Hydrangea Shrub with Blue or Pink Lacecap Flowers
Endless Summer 2 Gal. Pop Star Hydrangea Shrub with Blue or Pink Lacecap Flowers
The lace caps on Pop Star keep coming with not only the number of flowers it produces, but also how quickly they rebloom. Flower color varies and they stand up on strong, reddish stems for a tidy appearance with thick, well-veined green leaves. Rebloomer that changes color depending on soil pH. Grows up to 3 feet tall and wide in zones 4 to 9.
HYDRANGEA MACROPHYLLA GRIN AND TONIC™
HYDRANGEA MACROPHYLLA GRIN AND TONIC™
Starting in spring, this bright combination of green and white becomes reminiscent of its namesake gin and tonic cocktail with lime-colored blooms that slowly turn bright white as fall approaches. The habit is tidy, but densely packed with round mopheads. Rebloomer. Grows 2 to 3 feet tall and wide in zones 5 to 9.
Let's Dance Sky View® Reblooming Hydrangea
Let's Dance Sky View® Reblooming Hydrangea
In the right acidic soil, this hydrangea blooms pale blue with green centers in the summer before turning a darker shade of blue as it matures. Rebloomer that changes color depending on soil pH. Grows up to 3 feet tall and 4 feet wide in zones 4 to 9.
Hydrangea Dragon Baby™ Panicle Hydrangea
Hydrangea Dragon Baby™ Panicle Hydrangea
Normally, panicle hydrangeas are some of the largest, reaching up to 15 feet, but this dwarf version’s cone-shaped flowers remain compact. Starting in midsummer, flowers emerge bright green over dark, serrated leaves before turning pink in the fall. Grows 2 to 3 feet tall and wide in zones 3 to 8.
PROVEN WINNERS 1 Gal. Let's Dance Can Do!
PROVEN WINNERS 1 Gal. Let's Dance Can Do!
The lace cap's strawberry pink or lavender blooms draw the eye in, but this hydrangea’s ability to produce buds along the entire length of the stem—not just the top—is why it performs so well. That means winter dieback won't drain the following summer's flower production, and it continues blooming into August. Rebloomer that changes color depending on soil pH. Grows up to 4 tall and 3 feet wide in zones 4 to 9.
PROVEN WINNERS 1 Gal. Tiny Quick Fire Panicle Hydrangea
PROVEN WINNERS 1 Gal. Tiny Quick Fire Panicle Hydrangea
Unlike a lot of mopheads, the bright white color on this paniculata won't change because of soil pH, making it easier to plant a consistent drift of white along borders or in containers. Starting in spring, flowers emerge as clusters of white that slowly turn pink around the edges. Grows up to 3 feet tall and wide in zones 3 to 8.
PROVEN WINNERS 1 Gal. Let's Dance Arriba Hydrangea
PROVEN WINNERS 1 Gal. Let's Dance Arriba Hydrangea
PROVEN WINNERS 1 Gal. Fire Light 'Tidbit' Hydrangea
PROVEN WINNERS 1 Gal. Fire Light 'Tidbit' Hydrangea
The flowers on this paniculate bloom white, starting in early to mid-summer, and swell to nearly block out the textured green foliage below. As summer lingers the flowers turn pink to red until the frost. Grows up to 3 feet tall and wide in zones 3 to 8.
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