Beautiful Hydrangeas for the Lower South Region

Deservedly popular, Hydrangeas are easy-care, long-lived, deciduous shrubs with magnificent flowers that show off in gardens, containers, or in vases around our living areas. Amazingly versatile, Hydrangeas bloom throughout summer and into fall, providing long-lasting color when many shrubs are already fading. Their flowers come in various shapes, ranging from the big, rounded flower clusters of the Mophead Hydrangeas to the delicate, flat, lacy flowers of the Lacecap Hydrangeas or to the pointy, conical flowerheads of the Oakleaf Hydrangeas.

Colors also beguile with deep blues, vibrant pinks, pristine whites, lavender, and rose. Some Hydrangea varieties have the added attraction of changing color depending on the soil pH. Strongly acidic soils allow these species to produce blue flowers; slightly acidic soils will produce pink flowers. To change the color of your Hydrangea, add aluminum sulfate to the soil to make the flowers bluer or add lime to the soil to make them pinker.

Many Hydrangeas are fragrant, and others feature wonderful foliage, adding glorious fall color to the landscape. All are charming or glamorous.

The following is a list of Hydrangeas recognized as proven performers in the Lower South region.

As defined by the National Gardening Association, the Lower South starts at the southern tip of coastal Virginia, and swings west through the coastal plains of North and South Carolina, into central Georgia, Alabama, Mississippi, and Louisiana. It continues west through central Texas to just west of San Antonio and includes most of the major cities in Texas.