The Top Hydrangea Varieties For Gorgeous Blooms All Summer Long

There are many considerations that factor into choosing the best hydrangea for your yard. Among those is when and how long they bloom. There is actually quite a range when you can expect these bountiful plants to bloom, as well as whether they will blossom more than once during the season. Much of that depends on which hydrangea you plant: If you're looking for gorgeous flowers all summer long, choose a variety that blooms early with an extended bloom time. Luckily, there are a number of varieties and cultivars that will accomplish this goal.

For hydrangeas that give you flowers all summer long, as well as bonus colors later in the season, the best choice is oakleaf (Hydrangea quercifolia). This is a beautiful hydrangea variety that will fill your garden with stunning fall foliage following its summer-long blooms. Oakleaf hydrangea blooms earlier than other varieties, and the blossoms last a long time. In fact, oakleaf can hold their blooms for up to three-quarters of the year in some areas. The flower clusters start out white, only to change to shades of pink or brown as time goes on. As autumn sets in, the foliage will transition to vivid fall colors of orange, red, and purple. This applies to all varieties of oakleaf. Note that this variety doesn't benefit from deadheading, so keep blooms on if you want to watch the colors change.

Another type of hydrangea that can be counted on to provide blooms throughout summer are panicle hydrangeas (Hydrangea paniculata). Beside boasting season-long flowers, the great thing about the panicle hydrangea is the broad array of varieties and cultivars, that range dramatically in size, shape, and bloom size.

With that in mind, your choice of panicle should be based around where in the yard you are planting, the shade of bloom you prefer, and the intended function of the plant. For example, if you are attempting to create a hydrangea privacy hedge, you want something like the 'Limelight Hardy' (Hydrangea paniculata 'Limelight'), which grows up to 8 feet tall, and can be trimmed into a dense hedge. Should you want a bloom that changes color as the ambient temperatures and seasons change, you consider cultivars such as 'Candy Apple' (Hydrangea paniculata 'SMHPMWMH' CANDY APPLE) or 'Little Quickfire' (Hydrangea paniculata 'SMHPLQF' LITTLE QUICKFIRE).

One other possibility to ensure your lawn and garden are filled with hydrangea blooms all summer long is to plant a number of hydrangea types. Starting with a base of long-blooming oakleaf and/or panicle varieties, mix in varieites that are early, late, or recurring bloomers. This way you not only have blooms throughout the season, but the display will change as summer goes by.