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In the world of hydrangeas it is easy to get caught up in the blues and pinks. There are many different varieties of hydrangea, and several of them can change color with a little bit of dirt under the fingernails from a gardener. But, no matter which variety is your favorite, you’ll likely be able to find one that has beautiful white blooms.
Within a garden, I find it important to add white flowers. It creates balance, especially when you have other bright colors. No matter your color scheme, white flowers will offer softness. It will also match your brightly colored garden or your pastels perfectly.
With so many different white hydrangeas to choose from, which one should you pick? There are the popular ‘Little Lime’ and ‘Incrediball’ varieties, or perhaps you’d prefer to go with something a little lesser known. Let’s take a deeper look at the many different types of white hydrangeas so you have an idea which one will best fit your garden!
Hydrangea Anomala Varieties
Also known as the climbing varieties, hydrangea anomala is probably one of the lesser grown types of hydrangeas. Their blooms are slightly different, but they make great climbers for trellises or walled areas if you have somewhere that lacks some interest in your garden. There are two varieties we will mention here, both with beautiful white blooms.
Hydrangea anomala petiolaris
- Bloom Time: Summer
- Plant Size: 50-80 feet
- Plant Zone: 5-9
- Use: Climbing, Erosion Control
This subspecies is probably the most well known climbing hydrangea. The flowers are larger than the rest, growing to eight inches across. This climbing hydrangea needs some cool weather over the winter in order to produce lots of flowers in the next season.
Petiolaris blooms in June. Once the flowers have passed you will be left with a beautiful vine covered in glossy, heart shaped leaves.
‘Miranda’
- Bloom Time: Late Spring- Early Summer
- Plant Size: 30 feet
- Plant Zone: 4-8
- Use: Climbing, Erosion Control
This variety of climbing hydrangea will grow a little shorter than petiolaris, however 30 feet is still quite substantial. Clusters of white, fragrant flowers will cover this vine into the middle of the summer.
Once the flowers have passed you will be left with pretty variegated leaves. These leaves are green with a lighter green, almost white edging. Miranda is slow growing, but will be worth the wait and will be a very long living plant
Hydrangea Arborescens Varieties
One of the most popular white-blooming shrubs, arborescens is also known as the smooth hydrangea. This species has many different varieties that have beautiful white flowers. While there are plenty of other varieties in this species, ‘Incrediball’ which is a cultivar of ‘Annabelle‘ is by far the most popular.
‘Incrediball’
- Bloom Time: Early Summer- Late Summer
- Plant Size: 4-5 feet
- Plant Zone: 3-8
- Use: Border, Perennial Gardens, Cut flowers
A cultivar of ‘Annabelle’, this smooth hydrangea will be covered with giant, ball shaped flowers that will bloom in the summertime. The flowers will slowly turn green as they age. The stems of ‘Incrediball’ are upright and strong enough to hold the weight of the flowers.
‘Incrediball’blooms on new wood so you won’t have to worry about losing your blooms in a harsh winter, making it a great choice for colder climates.
Hydrangea Macrophylla Varieties
Macrophyllas are commonly referred to as bigleaf hydrangeas, and are some of the most common types you’ll see in home landscapes or in gardens. ‘Blushing Bride’ in particular is a favorite, with it’s large, beautiful blooms.
‘Blushing Bride’
- Bloom Time: Summer- Fall
- Plant Size: 3-6 feet
- Plant Zone: 5-9
- Use: Border, Container, Foundation Planting, Cut Flowers
This is a member of the well known Endless Summer family. ‘Blushing Bride’ is a reblooming hydrangea, which means you will have flowers all season long.
Typically which flowered hydrangeas are not sensitive to the pH of your soil. However, ‘Blushing Bride’ will react slightly, offering you pale shades of blue or purple as they age.
Seaside Serenade ‘Cape Lookout’
- Bloom Time: Spring- Summer
- Plant Size: 3-4 feet
- Plant Zone: 4-9
- Use: Border, Container, Mass Planting
This hydrangea has very long lasting blooms that will bloom in light green, and turn to a crisp white. Plant ‘Cape Lookout’ in a mass planting for a stunning show of these heavily flowered shrubs. ‘Cape Lookout’ is resistant to leaf scorch or burn on hot summer days, and is a great choice for coastal areas.
‘Wedding Gown’
- Bloom Time: Early Summer- Fall
- Plant Size: 2-3 feet
- Plant Zone: 5-9
- Use: Border, Foundation, Container
‘Wedding Gown’ is covered in beautiful double flowers. The outer flowers are larger than the inner flowers, giving it a lacecap appearance. Deadhead these bouquets of flowers for continued blooming into the fall. Plant this hydrangea in a container, or along a border for maximum effect.
Hydrangea Paniculata Varieties
Panicles are the sun-friendly version of this popular shrub. If you are planting in full sun, this is the variety you’ll likely be looking at. There are many different options in this species, with the most popular being ‘Bobo’ and ‘Little Lime.’
‘Bobo’
- Bloom Time: Early Summer- Early Fall
- Plant Size: 2.5-3 feet
- Plant Zone: 3-8
- Use: Container, Perennial garden
This variety is a great option if you only have a small amount of space. This dwarf panicle hydrangea will max out at three feet. This small shrub will be covered in lots of large white flowers that will turn pink as they age.
‘Bobo’ will grow a little slower than is normally expected of hydrangeas, but it will be fully grown in about two years. This hydrangea is cold hardy and can withstand harsh winters with ease.
‘Candy Apple’
- Bloom Time: Summer
- Plant Size: 4-5 feet
- Plant Zone: 4-8
- Use: Border, Mass Planting, Container
‘Candy Apple’ is a nice compact hydrangea that will only grow to four or five feet tall. These cone shaped flowers bloom in the summertime as green and slowly turn to a pure white, finally ending on as a red in the fall as they flowers age. The dark green leaves create a nice contrasting backdrop for the white flowers, allowing them to shine.
‘Little Lamb’
- Bloom Time: Mid Summer- Early Fall
- Plant Size: 4-6 feet
- Plant Zone: 3-8
- Use: Border, Mass planting, Perennial Gardens, Cut flower
I love little lamb because its flowers are made up of tiny and delicate florets. These sweet fleecy looking flowers will bloom in the summer as a pure white and age to pink, as most panicle hydrangeas do. This is a very tough and hardy plant that is also very dependable, combing back year after year.
‘Little Lime’
- Bloom Time: Late Spring – Early Fall
- Plant Size: 3-5 feet
- Plant Zone: 3-8
- Use: Border, Mass planting, Perennial Gardens
This variety is an extremely popular due to its flexibility and stunning color. It has blooms that can vary between pale white, to a green tinge.
It starts to turn pink when the blooms wane in the fall. Little lime does well in sunnier climates, and blooms from late spring until fall. Because it’s a paniculata, it’s also quite hardy, even in colder hardiness zones.
‘Polar Ball’
- Bloom Time: Summer
- Plant Size: 6-8 feet
- Plant Zone: 3-8
- Use: Containers, Hedge
This panicle hydrangea has flowers that are made up of extra large florets, making it unique in its own right. Growing to a large height of up to eight feet, ‘Polar Ball’ would make a beautiful hedge for some summer privacy. These pretty flowers open white and turn to a soft pink as they mature.
Hydrangea Quercifolia Varieties
Quercifolia is most commonly referred to as the Oakleaf Hydrangea, due to the shape of their big leaves that look that of an oak tree. They also bloom in white, and have several popular varieties with both white blooms and lush green leaves.
‘Alice’
- Bloom Time: Summer
- Plant Size: 12-15 feet
- Plant Zone: 5-9
- Use: Privacy screen
‘Alice’ is a very large variety up to twelve feet high and wide. The flowers are very long as well, and can easily reach one foot long. These long flowers will bloom creamy white and will age to pink in the fall. The creamy white flowers are made up of very large sepals, reaching to almost one and a half inches.
‘Gatsby Moon’
- Bloom Time: Summer
- Plant Size: 6-8 feet
- Plant Zone: 5-9
- Use: Border, Perennial garden
The flowers on this hydrangea are amazing. They remind me more of the flowers on a panicle hydrangea. Each flower is jam packed with double florets. Blooming white, the ‘Gatsby Moon’ flowers will age to a lime green keeping a fresh look to your garden all season long.
‘Gatsby Star’
- Bloom TIme: Summer
- Plant Size: 6-8 feet
- Plant Zone: 5-9
- Use: Border, Perennial Garden
‘Gatsby Star’ is very similar to ‘Gatsby moon’ in height and even in their doubled flowers. The main difference here is the petals are pointed rather than rounded. These pointy edges give the florets a starlike appearance.
These larger star shaped florets dance on top of the smaller fertile flowers which are green, and almost look like moss. This is a really interesting and special hydrangea that I think I will be adding to my garden this fall.
‘Munchkin’
- Bloom Time: Summer
- Plant Size: 3-5 feet
- Plant Zone: 5-9
- Use: Border, Perennial garden
As the name implies ‘Munchkin’ is a compact hydrangea. The flowers will bloom white and turn to pink as they age. The oak leaf shaped dark green leaves turn a pretty mahogany in fall. ‘Munchkin’ would be really nice tucked into a perennial garden or used as a lower growing border.
‘Snow Queen’
- Bloom Time: Mid Summer
- Plant Size: 4-5 feet
- Plant Zone: 5-9
- Use: Border, Hedge, Mass Planting
‘Snow queen’ is a special hydrangea that will be covered in stunning blooms. These flowers will bloom in midsummer in a crisp white and age to a rosy blush as they age in the fall. My favorite part of this plant is the foliage.
The leaves start out in a very deep green, and as the season progresses they slowly change color, finally ending in a deep reddish bronze color and adding a gorgeous splash of color to your autumn garden.
‘Snowflake’
- Bloom Time: Summer
- Plant Size: 4-6 feet
- Plant Zone: 5-9
- Use: Border, Container, Woodland border
This variety has really interesting flowers, made up of clusters of double white flowers that resemble snowflakes. ‘Snowflake’ is not a prim and proper hydrangea, instead it has a wild and unruly growth habit.
This growth habit makes it a charming choice for a woodland edge mixed in with other flowering shrubs or native perennials. The fall foliage on ‘Snowflake’ is a deep purple or burgundy as well, which accents the white flowers in a stunning fashion.
