Hydrangeas are a popular flowering shrub that come in a variety of types and offer gorgeous blooms throughout spring and summer. With different bloom shapes, colors, and growth habits, it can sometimes be tricky to identify exactly what type of hydrangea you have growing in your yard. This guide will walk you through the key features of the most common hydrangea species to help you determine what variety is brightening up your landscape.
Look at the Leaves
The leaves are one of the easiest ways to start narrowing down hydrangea types. Here are some leaf characteristics to look for
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Oakleaf shaped foliage – If your hydrangea has leaves that resemble oak tree leaves, with lobed edges and a long leaf stem, it is likely an oakleaf hydrangea (Hydrangea quercifolia). This variety is native to the southeastern United States.
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Heart-shaped, matte leaves: The leaves of smooth hydrangeas (Hydrangea arborescens) are somewhat round or heart-shaped and have a matte finish. They are native to the eastern United States.
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Large, glossy, elliptical leaves – Bigleaf hydrangeas (Hydrangea macrophylla) have big showy foliage with a glossy finish. The leaves are oval or elliptical in shape with serrated edges.
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Climbing vines: Your hydrangea is a climbing hydrangea (Hydrangea anomala subsp. anomala) if its stems grow in a way that makes them climb up posts or trees. petiolaris).
Examine the Flowers
The blooms on hydrangeas can also provide clues as to the type. Look for these distinguishing flower characteristics:
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Large, fluffy, globular flowers – Bigleaf hydrangeas have the classic mophead flower head that is round and full. The flowers can be white, blue, pink, or purple.
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Flat-topped flower clusters – Also a feature of bigleaf hydrangeas, but in the lacecap flower form. Lacecap bloom heads have small fertile flowers in the center, surrounded by showy sterile flowers.
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Cone-shaped panicles – Panicle hydrangeas (Hydrangea paniculata) have large conical flower clusters that start off white before turning pink or reddish
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Snowball-shaped blooms – Smooth hydrangeas have big, round, snowball-like flower heads in white or greenish-white.
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Oakleaf hydrangea flowers have lacey, flat tops. They bloom white at first and then turn pink or brown. The flowers are lacecap in form.
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Blue or pink flowers—The color of the flowers can also tell you something. Blue flowers indicate a bigleaf variety. Pink flowers may be bigleaf, smooth, or oakleaf hydrangeas.
Notice the Growth Habit
Looking at how the shrub grows can also help pinpoint the type:
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Vining – As mentioned, climbing hydrangeas have long vining stems that attach to structures.
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Tree-like – Oakleaf hydrangeas have sturdy branches and can grow quite large, up to 10 feet tall with a tree-like form.
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Upright and stiff – Bigleaf hydrangeas have upright, stiff branches with large flower heads that weigh them down.
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Arching and slender – Smooth hydrangeas have more delicate stems that arch gracefully with loosely rounded flower heads.
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Pyramidal or conical – Panicle hydrangeas have a cone or pyramid-shaped growth habit with their distinctive panicle flowers.
By carefully observing the leaves, flowers, and growth habits, you should be able to accurately determine which hydrangea type you have. Use this guide to identify your existing shrubs, or when shopping for new hydrangeas to add to your garden. With so many gorgeous options, you’re sure to find a hydrangea that fits perfectly in your outdoor space.
Panicle Hydrangea (Hydrangea paniculata)
These are the most heat tolerant of the hydrangeas as well as one of the largest, with some varieties reaching 8 feet in height and 6 feet spread.
- Light: Panicle hydrangeas can handle up to six hours of full sun and are the most heat-tolerant hydrangeas. Morning sun, however, is still preferable.
- Soil: These plants can grow in poor soil as long as it drains well, just like our other hydrangeas. Pruning: Panicle hydrangeas bloom from new growth. The best time to prune these plants is when they are not growing at all. To keep the plant’s shape and promote healthy growth, you should cut it back as needed, getting rid of any branches that are crossing or rubbing against each other and any stems that are weak or broken.
- Fertilizer: Use a balanced fertilizer to feed these plants in the spring.
- Notes: Pick a dwarf panicle hydrangea if you want a smaller one. Full size panicle hydrangeas will grow very large.
Big Leaf Hydrangea (Hydrangea macrophylla)
Whether a lacecap or a mophead Big Leaf Hydrangea, the care is the same.
- Light: These plants will scorch in hot afternoon sun. They do best when they get sun in the morning and some shade in the afternoon.
- Water: Hydrangea macrophylla plants do not like standing in water and prefer soil that drains well. If you have an area that doesn’t drain well, you will need to either make the drainage better or plant your Hydrangea macrophylla somewhere else.
- When pruning, get rid of any dead branches in March and do a more thorough cut right after the flowers bloom. The buds of hydrangea macrophylla trees form on branches that grew the previous year, before new growth starts in the spring. If you wait too long, you might cut off the blooms.
- Feeding: Use Merrifield Flowering Plant Food or Flower-Tone to feed these plants.
- Color of the Bloom: Hydrangeas that can change color are pink or blue types. This is based on the soil pH. Check the pH of your soil to see if you can turn your hydrangeas from pink to blue or blue to pink. Bring down the pH for blue flowers and up it for pink ones. You can achieve purple hydrangeas sometimes as well!.
How to Identify Your Hydrangea // Garden Answer
FAQ
How do I tell what kind of hydrangea plant I have?
Cone shaped blooms without the oak-shaped leaf mean you have a Panicle Hydrangea, Hydrangea paniculata. Blue blooms are a giveaway you have a Big Leaf Hydrangea, Hydrangea macrophylla.
How do you identify and prune hydrangeas?
The only way to know for sure is to remove just the spent blooms down to the next leaf bud on the stem then observe your plant. What kind of stems does it bloom on? Does it only bloom on stems that haven’t grown yet (new wood)? Early bloomers usually bloom on old wood and the blooms were formed last fall.
What are the three types of hydrangea?
Guide to Hydrangeas: Getting to Know the 4 Main TypesBigleaf Hydrangeas: Hydrangea macrophylla. Panicle Hydrangeas: Hydrangea paniculata. Oakleaf Hydrangeas: Hydrangea quercifolia. Smooth Hydrangeas: Hydrangea arborescens.
Where should you not plant hydrangeas?
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Southern Livinghttps://www.southernliving.com8 Mistakes You Should Never Make With Your HydrangeasOct 16, 2022 — While your hydrangea’s sun or shade needs will vary based on its type, one denominator remains pretty much the same: Don’t plant under big trees. Gr…
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Real Simplehttps://www.realsimple.comWhen to Plant Hydrangeas, According to a Horticulturist and Pro GardenerFeb 25, 2025 — Noyes also stresses that you should never plant hydrangeas in poor quality soil or where it lacks sufficient drainage. They need soil that’s fertile…
How do you identify a hydrangea without knowing its flowers?
The first part (the green part) is meant to help you recognize a hydrangea even if you don’t know much about its flowers. This is very useful if you are trying to figure out why your plant is not flowering. The second section (blue section) works through a process of identification using flowers.
What are the different types of Hydrangea?
There are several types of hydrangea and they don’t all take the same growing conditions. The type is based on the plant genetics – what species was used to develop the plant. Here is a brief list of the types that will be discussed in this post. Macrophylla hydrangea have been bred using mostly Hydrangea macrophylla and Hydrangea serrata.
What does a hydrangea plant look like?
Hydrangea paniculata is a large bush that can grow up to 12 feet high and wide. Its flowers have a cone shape, starting out as white or greenish and turning pink or red. They are showy and more prominent than those on the big leaf hydrangea.
How do you know if a hydrangea is a paniculata?
If the hydrangea is a tree with a single trunk, the plant is a paniculata type. If the plant is a shrub, move on to Leaf Shape. If the leaf has an oak shape as pictured below, it is oakleaf type. If the leaf is not an oak shape, move on to the Number of Leaves Per Node. A node is the point on the stem where one or more leaves are attached.
How do you know if a hydrangea is climbing?
If the plant is climbing, it will be a climbing hydrangea – this one is easy. If the hydrangea is a tree with a single trunk, the plant is a paniculata type. If the plant is a shrub, move on to Leaf Shape. If the leaf has an oak shape as pictured below, it is oakleaf type. If the leaf is not an oak shape, move on to the Number of Leaves Per Node.
What is a Big Leaf Hydrangea?
The Big Leaf Hydrangea, scientifically known as Hydrangea macrophylla, is a type of hydrangea with large leaves. It comes in two types of flowers – mopheads (big balls) and lacecaps (flatter with a lacy appearance).