On Gardening: Tsunami of new hydrangeas has us dancing in the garden

Norman Winter, Tribune News Service on Oct 29, 2026

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In case you haven’t noticed, you have been living through an explosion of new varieties when it comes to hydrangeas. It has been like a wonderful tsunami of shrubs that we could not have even dreamed about.

Today I looked at the Proven Winners online catalog and there were 66 varieties. Can you imagine how many there would be if you counted those from other producers too? So, this column will be like The Garden Guy "Pick Five." These are five I am growing at my home that you need to know about.

As a kid I grew up in west Texas where the hydrangea was pretty much relegated to Mother’s Day gifts. I graduated from Texas A&M in 1981 and even then, the choices gardeners had was miniscule. Then in the 1990s the hydrangea earthquake started to rumble and it has been nonstop.

In the seven years I have lived in this house, I have planted hydrangeas I could not have even dreamed about. The first I want to mention is Tuff Stuff Ah-Ha Reblooming Mountain Hydrangea, Hydrangea serrata. It was the "Hydrangea of the Year" in 2021, and you don’t need a mountain. They reach 36 inches in height and width, making a nice structural habit. Here in west Georgia the blooms are blue, lace cap-like, and large. They are ever so picturesque combined with yellow, gold and chartreuse so I combined them with Shadowland Autumn Frost and Shadowland Etched Glass hostas.

No. 2 on the Pick Five is Invincibelle Wee White II smooth hydrangea, Hydrangea arborescens. This one is making its debut next year and has a dainty 30-inch tall and wide habit. It is a long bloomer, starting off a pristine white and aging with a hint of soft green. You’ll want a dozen of these as they seem to fit everywhere, and the white shows off in great contrast with all other colors. This native species has a large region, from zones 3a-8a.

No. 3 on The Garden Guy list is Let’s Dance Sky View Continuous Blooming Hydrangea, Hydrangea macrophylla x serrata hybrid. It reaches 24 to 36 inches in height with a spread of 48 inches and is recommended for zones 4-9.

It was the Proven Winners 2024 "Hydrangea of the Year" and has been a favorite of The Garden Guy for its rare blue color, which makes for incredible partnerships in the garden. Whether with hostas or with Pyromania Backdraft red-hot poker, it always brings out the camera.

No. 4 is Fairytrail Fresco Cascade hydrangea, which made its debut in the market this year, and my home too. Who would have ever thought about cascading hydrangeas? With a habit of up to 4 feet tall and wide, it creates quite a picturesque display.

This was my first hydrangea to use in containers, and I also gave them more sun than I might have otherwise thought suitable for west Georgia. Every day that I looked at it I wanted to shout "GLORY!" or do the happy dance.

How could it be that beautiful? It just keeps producing new blooms and they last beyond all descriptions. I can hardly wait for next spring to come.

No. 5 was also my first year of blooms for Let’s Dance Hot Stepper, which will make its debut next year. So, I can truthfully say I have seen the future, and it will be drop-dead gorgeous: Let’s Dance Hot Stepper Continuous Blooming Hydrangea. It too is a Hydrangea macrophylla x H. serrata cross, similar to Let’s Dance Sky View but with some lace cap attributes. It can reach about 4 feet tall with an expected spread of 3 feet.

Proven Winners notes that the plants ship with pink blooms expected, but can produce blue ones in acidic soil or with applications of aluminum sulfate. The three Let’s Dance Hot Stepper hydrangeas at my house each became a work of art with various shades of pink and some with a hint of blue. I hope to re-create the same color display next season as I have fallen madly in love with all of them.

It’s a great time to be a gardener and the tsunami of new varieties of hydrangeas is so exciting even if we can’t grow them all. These five will get you started on a wonderful journey.

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(Norman Winter, horticulturist, garden speaker and author of “Tough-as-Nails Flowers for the South” and “Captivating Combinations: Color and Style in the Garden.” Follow him on Facebook @NormanWinterTheGardenGuy.)

(NOTE TO EDITORS: Norman Winter receives complimentary plants to review from the companies he covers.)