Hydrangeas signify a mythical American summer, as iconic as Fourth of July fireworks and barbecues. The orbed clusters of flowers hang from branches throughout June, July, and into fall and even sometimes make it into dried flower arrangements in the winter.
But here’s a surprising fact: only four species of hydrangeas are native to North America. Even more surprising? One of these native species has been cultivated to be pollen-free—a disaster for pollinators. Scroll on to learn more and find out where to find native hydrangeas.
Dig Deeper
Explore the history, types, and where to plant native hydrangeas
Table of Contents
As mentioned, hydrangeas are ubiquitous in landscaping and our collective gardening imaginations. Their mythical status comes from the covers of garden coffee table books and luxury homes in Cape Cod (the Kennedy compound is known for its hydrangeas.) In this article, we’ll discuss the benefits of planting native hydrangeas, introduce all three species, and warn about the pollen-free cultivars often found in plant nurseries.
Let’s start with briefly meeting the hydrangea family tree and then focus on the North American native species:
Native vs. non-native hydrangeas
There are around 80 species of hydrangea worldwide.
Most of hydrangea species have the following in common:
Sterile + fertile flower ‘panicles’
Most Hydrangea species produce flower clusters called corymbs or panicles. These clusters often contain a mix of small fertile flowers (which produce pollen and seeds) and larger, showy sterile flowers (which do not produce pollen or seeds). The sterile flowers help attract pollinators to the fertile flowers, enhancing the plant’s reproductive success.
More on this sterile/fertile combo, later.
Beginner-friendly adaptability
Most hydrangeas thrive in a wide variety of light (shade to full sun) as long as they are in well-drained areas. (No rain gardens for hydrangeas.)
If you’re planning on planting hydrangea in a full-sun environment, it will require extra watering during dry periods. Hydrangeas planted in full shade will flower the least.
Most will turn into shrubs or small trees
With the exception of some vining hydrangeas (native to Asia), most hydrangeas stick to a shrub/small tree structure.
Now, that we know a little about what makes a hydrangea a hydrangea, let’s meet the native options.
Hydrangeas native to North America
These species are native to North America, including:
Smooth Hydrangea or Wild Hydrangea
Hydrangea arborescens
This species is native to the eastern United States and is known for its rounded clusters of white flowers that bloom in summer. It’s also the source plant for many sterile cultivars, including ‘Grandiflora’ and ‘Annabelle.’ Read on to learn more.
Oakleaf Hydrangea
Hydrangea quercifolia
Native to the southeastern United States, this gorgeous native hydrangea is instantly recognizable by its unique oak-shaped leaves. Its gorgeous cone-shaped clusters of white flowers can turn pinkish as they age.
Silverleaf or Snowy Hydrangea
Hydrangea radiata
Like Oakleaf, Silverleaf is native to the southeastern United States, especially the Appalachian region. It is known for its silver-backed leaves and wide, white lace-cap flowers.
There is also the Hydrangea cinerea, which, according to Mt. Cuba Center, is “rarely found in the horticultural trade.” It looks very similar to Smooth Hydrangea.
You’ve now met the native North American hydrangeas. 🥳
I know what you’re thinking.
What about blue hydrangeas? Are they native?
The blue orbs of flowers that decorate many Cape Cod real estate dreams are Bigleaf Hydrangeas (Hydrangea macrophylla). Bigleaf Hydrangeas are native to Japan, China, Korea, and Southeast Asia.
Bigleaf’s flowers turn different colors depending on the soil’s pH. There are countless articles, books, and videos about how to tinker with the soil’s pH to produce blue hydrangeas.
Wondering what other hydrangeas are non-native? Here are some non-native hydrangeas commonly found in North American gardens:
Non-native hydrangeas include…
The following species are native to different parts of Asia.
Bigleaf Hydrangea
Hydrangea macrophylla
Lace-cap Hydrangea
Hydrangea aspera
Panicle Hydrangea
Hydrangea paniculata
Climbing Hydrangea
Hydrangea petiolaris
Those are iconic flowers. It’s hard to not dream of something so beautiful gracing our North American gardens.
So, let’s talk about what native hydrangeas deliver.
The benefits of planting native hydrangeas
As mentioned in the intro, plants native to North America have grown here for thousands—sometimes millions—of years. There are no better plants that know the soil, climate, and wildlife better than native plants.
Native plants also give a lot of benefits to busy gardeners (aka all of us.) The benefits of planting native hydrangeas include:
- Fuss-free beauty. Native plants have planted themselves without human intervention for thousands of years. After the first year of getting established, they are happy with rain (one caveat: hydrangeas in full sun will need water during dry periods.)
- No PH-tinkering is required. Blue hydrangeas require extra fussy care. We’re talking about sending soil samples in and buying special fertilizers. Native hydrangeas require none of this.
- Multi-season beauty. Unlike many non-native hydrangeas, native hydrangeas’ leaves turn beautiful shades of red/orange/yellow in the fall.
- Multi-decade lifespans. Native hydrangeas can live for 50 years (or more) when planted in a good spot. Spend a few hours planting and enjoy resilient beauty for a lifetime.
- Pollinator support. Native hydrangeas are pollinator favorites. Those huge flowers create tiny cities in which pollinators can roam.
We just mentioned pollinators. Here is a big pollinator surprise for many gardeners—even professional ones.
Beware sterile hydrangea cultivars—they offer no pollen
At the beginning, we mentioned how most of the 80 species of hydrangeas worldwide share a type of flower (called panicle) that includes both sterile and fertile flowers. Each panicle can have hundreds of both sterile and fertile flowers.
Let’s dig in (pun intended) to natural hydrangea flowers for a quick few paragraphs.
Nature’s hydrangea: a combo of sterile + fertile
Those massive hydrangea flowers are actually made up of a mix of two types of flowers. When we get up close to a single flower, we can see:
Sterile flowers
Showy, four-petaled flowers help attract pollinators
Fertile flowers
Smaller fertile flowers produce pollen and seed
Technically, the four-petaled sterile flower on hydrangeas is called a sepal. On many other flowering plants, sepals are usually green and surround the petals.
Why do the sepals/pollen-less flowers on hydrangeas exist?
Matt Candeias, of the blog In Defense of Plants, says it beautifully (bolding is our own):
“Flowers are essentially billboards. They are saying to potential pollinators ‘hey, I’m full of energy-rich food and totally worth visiting.’ However, flowers are costly to produce and maintain. Reproduction isn’t cheap, which has led some plants to take a more cost effective rout. In the genus Hydrangea, this means producing large, showy sterile flowers that draw attention to their smaller, less gaudy fertile flowers.”
Now, when we take a step back and look at an Oakleaf Hydrangea “panicle,” we can see clearly the two levels of flowers working together:
Here’s where the trouble comes in.
Most cultivar hydrangeas are bred to be sterile
Humans have cultivated plants for centuries to look or behave in certain ways. When a plant is curated or manipulated by humans, it is called a cultivar. (Here’s our short cultivar overview.)
To deliver the showiest blooms and longest-lasting flowers, most hydrangeas are cultivated only to have sterile flowers. Removing the fertile flowers puts the sterile sepals in the spotlight. It also means that the sepals/flowers stay longer since they will not go to seed. (Also, technically…sterile hydrangeas are flowerless. Since all they have is sepals.)
Sterile-only cultivars = plants with no pollen
When we remove the fertile flowers from hydrangeas—whether native or non-native—we remove pollen entirely from the plant. The sterile plant becomes a desert for pollinators. According to the Native Plant Trust, “While the leaves surely feed insect herbivores, the sterile flowers are of no use to pollinators.”
Unless you knew this idiosyncratic botanical detail, you would think you were doing pollinators a favor planting such “flower” filled plants. Sadly, these showy, sterile hydrangeas have become some of our gardens’ go-to hydrangeas. Well-known sterile hydrangeas that hail from the native Smooth Hydrangea include:
Sterile, pollen-free, cultivar hydrangeas include:
Smooth Hydrangea ‘Annabelle’
H. arborescens ‘Annabell’
Smooth Hydrangea ‘Grandiflora’
H. arborescens ‘Graniflora’
According to Mt Cuba’s research report on wild hydrangeas, both ‘Annabelle’ and ‘Grandiflora’ are naturally occurring cultivars that were noticed, propagated, marketed, and sold starting in the early 1900s. Their popularity has sky-rocketed, making them the ubiquitous garden staples we know today.
But within moments of learning how these garden favorites are pollinator deserts, you can start to see how detrimental sterile hydrangeas can be.
Not to get too dramatic, but a walk in the Northeast, Mid-Atlantic, or Midwest in the summer will start to look different now. You’ll notice how much landscaping has been given over to having just a little more beauty, done at the huge detriment of pollinators.
That is why, as you start to build your garden and add hydrangeas, plant natives whenever possible and avoid sterile cultivar hydrangeas.
Start by visiting our profile of an overlooked garden gem: Oakleaf Hydrangea.
Native vs. Cultivar
Plant true native plants whenever possible. Cultivars (short for CULTivated VARieties) are selected and made by humans and do not offer the same benefits to bugs, birds, and animals that native plants do.
What are good pairings for native hydrangeas?
There are countless native flowers, shrubs, and trees that have happily grown alongside native North American hydrangeas for thousands—even millions—of years. Here are some other iconic native flowers that are well worth pairing in our gardens:
Or, visit our regional guides to find piles of inspiration and regionally-appropriate plant profiles:
Hydrangeas are iconic plants, known for their showy flowers and easy care. The Asian species have hogged the spotlight for far too long. Let’s plant native hydrangeas in our gardens and spread the word that the non-native and pollinator-free cultivars are pretty but come empty-handed to the pollinator party. Stop by some other well-known native guides (below) to learn more about the history and benefits of native plants. Happy planting!
Next steps and resources:
There are lots of well-known plants that have native options available. Explore our beginner guides to native favorites:
Sources
- Hoadley, Sam. Mt. Cuba Center, Research Report: Wild Hydrangea for the Mid-Atlantic Region. (PDF).
- “Hydrangea Arborescens (Hills of Snow, Hortensia, Hydrangea, Sevenbark, Seven Bark, Smooth Hydrangea, Wild Hydrangea) | North Carolina Extension Gardener Plant Toolbox,” n.d. https://plants.ces.ncsu.edu/plants/hydrangea-arborescens/.
- Ito, T., Aoki, D., Fukushima, K. et al. Direct mapping of hydrangea blue-complex in sepal tissues of Hydrangea macrophylla. Sci Rep 9, 5450 (2019). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-019-41968-7
- Endless Summer. “Soil Testing: How to Test Your Garden Soil pH and Identify Soil Types | Endless Summer,” May 28, 2024. https://endlesssummerhydrangeas.com/resource/hydrangea-soil/.
- Welsh, Kelly. “Hydrangea – Norfolk Botanical Garden.” Norfolk Botanical Garden, January 1, 2018. https://norfolkbotanicalgarden.org/collections/hydrangea/.
- Missouri Botanical Garden. “Hydrangea Paniculata ‘Grandiflora’ – Plant Finder.”
- “Hydrangea Paniculata ‘Grandiflora’ (Peegee Hydrangea).” North Carolina Extension Gardener Plant Toolbox.
- Britannica, T. Editors of Encyclopaedia. “sepal.” Encyclopedia Britannica, April 28, 2023. https://www.britannica.com/science/sepal.
- New England Wild Flower Society (http://plantfinder.nativeplanttrust.org). “Hydrangea Arborescens Annabelle.” New England Wild Flower Society, n.d. https://plantfinder.nativeplanttrust.org/plant/Hydrangea-arborescens-Annabelle.
- “The Sterile Flowers of Hydrangea.” In Defense of Plants, February 28, 2021. https://www.indefenseofplants.com/blog/2017/6/20/the-sterile-flowers-of-hydrangea.
- Mt. Cuba Center. “Wild Hydrangea for the Mid-Atlantic Region – Mt. Cuba Center,” January 27, 2022. https://mtcubacenter.org/trials/wild-hydrangea-for-the-mid-atlantic-region/.
- Beaulieu, David. “How to Grow and Care for Oakleaf Hydrangea.” The Spruce, July 29, 2024. https://www.thespruce.com/summer-blooming-oakleaf-hydrangeas-2132724.
- Wikipedia contributors, “Hydrangea aspera,” Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Hydrangea_aspera&oldid=1241626529.