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Hydrangeas usually play a starring role in your garden, but figuring out which plants deserve the supporting role to your hydrangea plants can be a bit of a guessing game. Should you match the flower style with a lilac or butterfly bush, or opt for something totally unique? We asked experts to share the best companion plants to grow next to your hydrangeas for a healthier, showier bloom for seasons to come.
- Lorraine Ballato, master gardener and author of Success With Hydrangeas, A Gardener's Guide
- Katie Tamony, chief marketing officer and trend spotter at Monrovia
Tips for Choosing Hydrangea Companion Plants
Hydrangeas have such a dramatic presence, with their larger-than-life blooms and leaves. That means it tends to stand out in your landscape and needs something that balances out its boldness. "Look for plant varieties that add to, rather than distract from, the beauty of hydrangea," says Katie Tamony, chief marketing officer and trend spotter at Monrovia.
Choose plants that have similar light and water requirements
If the companion plant needs less water or more sun than your hydrangea plant, it'll be more difficult to help both of them thrive in that particular spot. You'll want to look for plants that like partial sun and consistent moisture—or a spot where your hydrangea plant can get its partial sun, but the companion plant enjoys more shade or sunlight.
Perfect your color palette
If you want to opt for a monochromatic color scheme—like a hydrangea with pink flowers—consider going a shade darker or lighter, and choosing a flower with a different texture. For instance, the spiky feathers of an astilbe flower will be the perfect foil for the dramatic, globe-like hydrangea blooms.
You can also go for a dramatic pairing of opposite colors—such as a hot pink petunias with the cool, soft green of a limelight hydrangea.
Keep size and scale in mind
Look at the final size of your hydrangea, and choose a companion plant that suits it in scale. For instance, a larger hydrangea plant like an oaktree should be flanked by other sizeable plants, such as small trees.
Choose what you like
While the plants below are known for looking beautiful and thriving next to hydrangea, if you're all-in on poppies, there's no reason not to plant those near your hydrangeas. "Beauty is in the eye of the beholder, so there's no such thing as a bad pairing," says Lorraine Ballato, master gardener and author of Success With Hydrangeas, A Gardener's Guide. "What I like may be awful to your taste."
Astilbe
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If you're looking for a little textural contrast, pairing spiky astilbe with the rounded hydrangea blooms is great garden design. Astilbe also favor shadier spots, and come in hues that will blend beautifully with hydrangea's traditional pinks, purples, and blues.
Sun: Partial to full—but shade tolerant
Water: Keep soil moist
Zones: 3-8
Japanese Forest Grass
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The bright green and spiky texture of this bushy grass make it a perfect complement to your hydrangea—particularly the macrophylla types, Ballato says. And it's super easy to grow: "It's practically bulletproof."
Sun: Partial
Water: Keep soil moist
Zones: 4-9
Daylilies
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The vibrant colors of daylilies—red, orange, yellow, purple, and pink—make a perfect counterpoint to a hydrangea's hues (just picture a bright orange daylily with a pale blue hydrangea). Daylilies have similar care needs to hydrangea, and bloom right alongside them throughout the summer.
Sun: Full or light shade
Water: Keep soil moist
Zones: 3-10
Hellebore
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When choosing companion plants for hydrangea, consider ones that bloom at a slightly different time help you extend your bloom season. "Plants that bloom earlier than hydrangea such as hellebore are excellent choices for extended flowering," Tamony says. Hellebores tend to bloom in colder months—sometime between December and April—and provide long-lasting blooms that will take you to hydrangea season.
Sun: Partial to full shade in summer, sun in winter
Water: Keep soil moist
Zones: 3-9
Echinacea
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Echinacea (aka coneflower) is a favorite in any pollinator garden, and their sunny, brightly-colored petals can make a nice counterpoint to the globe-like masses of hydrangea blooms. These are sun-loving perennials, so be sure to mass them in a sunny spot.
Sun: Full to partial
Water: Prefers drier climates
Zones: 3-8
Ferns
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Ferns add an interesting touch of texture when planted near your hydrangea. Ferns prefer shady spots, so they're perfect for planting beneath a hydrangea plant or a nearby tree.
Sun: Partial
Water: Keep soil moist
Zones: 2-10
Heuchera
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If you're looking for colorful foliage to set off your hydrangea, heuchera is a perfect choice to complement the bright green leaves and blooms of hydrangea. Tamony recommends pairing darker-leaved hydrangea varieties like Blue Enchantress with dark-hued huechera types like Sirens' Song Dark Night.
Sun: Partial to full shade in summer, sun in winter
Water: Keep soil moist
Zones: 4a-9a
Hosta
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Hostas are a shady-area favorite, and Ballato recommends them in particular with hydrangea serrata. The hosta's tiny lavender flowers pair beautifully with hydrangea blooms.
Sun: Full to partial shade
Water: Keep soil moist
Zones: 3-9
Phlox Paniculata
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Phlox has larger blooms but the same clustered style as hydrangea, making it a nice choice to mirror the look of your hydrangea bush—and come in similar shades of pink, purple, and white. Ballato suggests mixing them in with both daylilies and hydrangea.
Sun: Full to partial
Water: Keep soil moist
Zones: 4-8
Clematis
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Vines can make a bold backdrop for your hydrangea plant when they're trellised behind them. The lush growth and bright blooms of the clematis plant—which come in varying shades of purple, pink, white, red, and blue—add a different kind of drama to your garden.
Sun: Full
Water: Keep soil moist
Zones: 4-9
Dwarf Colorado Blue Spruce
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Hydrangea lose their foliage—and their allure—in the winter, so placing an evergreen plant nearby will ensure there's something lush and lovely in the coldest months. A dwarf blue spruce is a nice companion to an oakleaf hydrangea.
Sun: Full
Water: Keep soil moist
Zones: 2-7
Petunias
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While you may be thinking of perennials as companion plants for your hydrangea, annual options are a great way to add bright color and allow you to change the look of your garden every year—even as you enjoy the long-lasting hydrangea. Ballato likes sun-loving annuals in bold colors as a perfect foil for the white flowers of panicle hydrangea.
Sun: Full
Water: Keep soil moist
Zones: 10-11 (as a perennial)
Other Hydrangea
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If you love hydrangea, why stop at one? Both Ballato and Tamony adore creating a full garden of hydrangea. "Don’t underestimate the impact of planting hydrangea en masse," Tamony says. "Planting multiple hydrangea can create a stunning hedge or focal point in the garden." Ballato recommends pairing taller varieties like hydrangea arborscens with hydrangea macrophylla.
Sun: Partial to full
Water: Keep soil moist
Zones: 5-9