If you're looking for drought tolerant hydrangea shrubs, oakleaf hydrangea is one of the best; however, the plant will still need moisture during hot, dry weather.
Oakleaf hydrangea- a drought tolerant variety! Every year I have a different favorite plant. Last year it was brugmansia, the year before that monarda, but this year--which has already had a couple of scorching days--it is the oakleaf hydrangea (Hydrangea quercifolia).
Best Panicle Hydrangea: Fire Light
This plant grows about 8 feet tall in sun to part shade and has strong stems that won't flop over despite the weight of its football-size flower heads.
Panicle hydrangeas are among the most winter-hardy hydrangeas available to gardeners. In fact, the three varieties we're about to introduce you to are hardy all the way down to USDA Zone 3. That means they'll brush off temperatures as cold as -40˚ F/C like a champ. Pruning Hydrangea paniculata is no-fail (no kidding!).
Best Types of Hydrangea for Low-Maintenance
Elegant oakleaf is one of the easiest types of hydrangea to grow. It's also one of the showiest, thanks to its big clusters of white summertime flowers, attractive peeling bark, and textured foliage that turns brilliant shades of purple-red in fall.
Panicle hydrangeas from Proven Winners are the most reliably blooming, low maintenance, hardy hydrangeas you can grow. Since they bloom on new growth each summer, there is no chance for the flower buds to be damaged by winter cold because they simply haven't been formed yet.
Endless Summer Hydrangeas live up to their name, blooming massive pink or blue mophead flowers on both old and new wood all summer long. Endless Summer Hydrangeas are unique, taking the traditional hydrangea to the next level.
Most hydrangeas prefer only morning sun. Yet one type of hydrangea can soak up the sun all day: the panicle hydrangea. While they can stand the sun, these do just fine in partial shade, too. Plus, panicle hydrangeas are the hardiest hydrangeas.
Not all hydrangeas are drought-tolerant, but the panicle hydrangea is a dry climate superstar. These rapid-growing, multi-stemmed beauties will make your cottage garden, shade garden, or border overflow with beautiful clusters of white and pink flowers that bloom all summer long.
Shade-Loving Hydrangeas
Annabelle, Invincibelle, and Incrediball are three hydrangeas that perform well in mostly shaded sites.
Limelight Hydrangea: Origin. The Incrediball® hydrangea is an improvement on the classic garden favorite, the 'Annabelle' hydrangea, bred for sturdier stems and larger flower balls that can reach up to 12 inches wide. Limelight hydrangea is a cultivar with no native origin, bred for impressive and colorful flowerheads.
However, if they aren't getting enough sun, they don't flower as much and their stems tend to be weaker and floppier. Don't let a little shade crush your hydrangea-garden dreams.
Bigleaf is divided into two flower types – lacecap and mophead. Both are among the most heat-tolerant hydrangeas, although mophead prefers a bit more shade. Panicle hydrangea (H. paniculata) – Panicle hydrangea is one of the most sun tolerant hydrangeas.
They enjoy morning sun and afternoon shade. Tolerates full sun only if grown with consistent moisture. Water: Water to keep the soil moist, but not wet. Not considered drought tolerant, so don't let them dry out!
Hydrangea macrophylla 'Lanarth White' is one of the best of all lacecaps, and also one of the best hydrangeas for exposed positions, poor soil and by the sea. Blooming from early July to the end of August and beyond, a ring of large pure white florets surrounds a mass of green buds which open to pale blue or lilac.
Sun helps many varieties bloom, but full sun is rarely required. Bigleaf hydrangeas, which are the variety most people think of when they think of these popular shrubs, can take full sun in cooler areas (zones 4 to 6). But in warmer areas (zones 7 to 9), they do best with morning sun and afternoon shade.
Can hydrangeas grow in full sun? Hydrangeas like morning sun, but do not do well if they're in direct, hot afternoon sun. Partial shade in the later parts of the day is ideal for these beauties.
Just like Hydrangeas getting too much sun, a Hydrangea getting too much sun may develop wilting and yellowing leaves, even some brown spots.
The Endless Summer hydrangea thrives in partial shade and needs well-drained soil with consistent moisture. It does need some sunlight for photosynthesis and flowering potential, but overly hot direct sunlight can scorch the leaves.
Water plants deeply prior to the heat event so that the root zone is well hydrated. Place mulch, such as bark, around plants to help keep in moisture. Avoid applying gravel or black-plastic mulches, which raise soil temperatures. Prior to planting, amend soil with organic matter.
Endless Summer hydrangea is a collection of several Hydrangea macrophylla cultivars that bloom all summer long. Like all hydrangeas, they do best in soil with plenty of organic matter so amending the soil before planting is important for plant health and blooming.
Reblooming Hydrangea Varieties
One of the first introduced was 'Endless Summer,' a blue mophead variety, but there are many others now available. In fact, rebloomers are so popular there are many varieties such as: Forever and Ever – Pistachio, Blue Heaven, Summer Lace, Fantasia.
Hydrangeas are long-lived shrubs, sometimes living for up to 50 years if properly cared for. They enjoy morning sun but afternoon shade, and they need frequent watering during the growing season. Prune them in the fall after the blooms fade so they can grow on strong stems the following summer.