11 Green Hydrangea Varieties for your Garden
Looking for a hydrangea variety that's a little different? Maybe you just want to spruce up your yard for Saint Patrick's Day? There are many different green hydrangea varieties that you can add to your garden! In this article, gardening expert and hydrangea enthusiast Jill Drago examines her favorites!
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Hydrangeas fill our gardens with gorgeous colors all summer long. No matter what your favorite color is, there is a type of hydrangea out there for you. Known for their seaside shade of blue, these popular shrubs come in creamy whites, pretty pinks and purples, as well as bold red varieties.
Sometimes green hydrangeas are overlooked because the variety of colors offered by more popular varieties tend to steal the show. While pops of color are often the goals of many gardeners, green flowers add interest and a texture that foliage can not offer. Think of the soft elegance of bells of Ireland, or lady’s mantle and all that those plants have to offer your garden.
This list of hydrangeas is a compilation of some varieties that are pure green, some that have splashes of green, and some that are green during one stage of the life of the flower. Read along to discover some new varieties to add to your garden with beautiful green blooms!
Pure Green
There are two different green hydrangea varieties that are more of a pure green. If you are looking for completely green flowers, these two are going to be your best bet. If you are considering other types that have green in the blooms, your options become a little more open. Let’s look at the top two that should be on your list for a pure green.
‘Invincibelle Sublime’
- Type: Hydrangea arborescens
- Bloom Time: Summer through fall
- Plant Size: 2.5 feet
- Plant Zone: 3-9
‘Invincibelle Sublime’ is an excellent green option for your garden. It has a compact nature making it easy to tuck into any part of your garden.
This variety has flowers in a deep jade green that last all season long. Plant this variety in an area that gets around six hours of sunlight a day to ensure that it has strong stems that are sturdy enough to support these beautiful flowers.
‘Lime Rickey’
- Type: Hydrangea arborescens
- Bloom Time: Summer through fall
- Plant Size: 4-5 feet
- Plant Zone: 3-8
‘Lime Rickey’ has really large disc shaped flowers that will bloom as a light green and fade into a darker green as the flowers age.
For a splash of extra color, the pollen of these plants is pink. ‘Lime Rickey’ is a great option if you live in a colder climate because it is a very dependable even in colder temperatures.
Splashes of Green
If you are looking for some varieties that offer bits of green with it not being the primary color of its blooms, then your options become a little more broad. Let’s look at a few varieties that have a nice mix of green with other colors.
‘Cityline Rio’
- Type: Hydrangea macrophylla
- Bloom Time: Summer
- Plant Size: 2-3 feet
- Plant Zone: 5-9
A beautiful member of the Cityline family is ‘Rio’. As with many bigleaf variety the flower color is dependent on your soil pH and the blooms could be either blue or pink.
Regardless of the main color of the flower, the center will be accented with a shade of green. This is a great coastal plant due to its salt tolerance, however this is an excellent addition to your garden no matter where you live!
‘Pistachio’
- Type: Hydrangea macrophylla
- Bloom Time: Summer
- Plant Size: 2 to 3 feet
- Plant Zone: 5-9
I have to say it, I love this variety and it has a lot to offer. ‘Pistachio’ is a re-blooming hydrangea that will start the season off with lime green flowers.
As these green flowers age the edges will turn different shades of pink or red. No matter what color they change to, there will always be a periwinkle eye in the center of the flowers.
Stages of Green
Some varieties will turn green in different stages of their life. This means they will either have green blooms to start the season and ease into their color, or they will start off a certain color and turn to green as the season progresses. Let’s look at some of the types that will fit into this category.
‘Invincibelle Limetta’
- Type: Hydrangea arborescens
- Bloom Time: Summer- Fall
- Plant Size: 3-4 feet
- Plant Zone: 3-8
The flowers on ‘Invincibelle Limetta’ open light green, and will fade to a creamy white before turning to a jade green in the fall giving you two periods of green on these shrubs. The growth habit and the lush green of this plant makes it a great option for anywhere in your garden.
Plant some low growing colorful perennials in front of them and you have yourself a ready made garden! Plant this variety in a cutting garden and savor the long lasting blooms inside your home as well!
‘Seaside Serenade Bar Harbor’
- Type: Hydrangea arborescens
- Bloom Time: Summer
- Plant Size: 4 Feet
- Plant Zone: 3-8
Another improved version of ‘Annabelle’, this variety has dome shaped flowers and will bloom green and fade into a creamy white which will carry you into the fall. ‘Seaside Serenade Bar Harbor’ would make a nice hedge, or a wonderful container plant due to its compact nature.
‘Abracadabra Orb’
- Type: Hydrangea macrophylla
- Bloom Time: Summer
- Plant Size: 3-4 feet
- Plant Zone: 5-9
This popular variety is full of bright color that will perk up any corner of your garden. These flowers will bloom as a mixture of green and peach. As they age the peach will brighten to a hot pink and the green will remain in the center of each flower.
These fun flowers grow on black stems offering amazing contrast which allows the colorful flowers to pop even more!
‘Magical Green Cloud’
- Type: Hydrangea macrophylla
- Bloom Time: Summer
- Plant Size: 3-4 feet
- Plant Zone: 5-9
This pretty flower is popular for arrangements, but would be gorgeous in your garden. These flowers begin the season as white and green, and turn to a bright shade of red splashed with green as they age.
This newer variety is part of the Everlasting series, and will bloom on new wood as well as old wood giving you a whole season of flowers.
‘Magical Pearl’
- Type: Hydrangea macrophylla
- Bloom Time: Summer to fall
- Plant Size: 3-4 feet
- Plant Zone: 5-9
“Magical pearl’ is a bigleaf hydrangea that has pure white flowers that will fade into a chartreuse right when it is at its peak bloom.
The reblooming nature of this shrub will keep it full of white and green flowers all season. Use this hydrangea in containers, which can help provide your garden plenty of interest all season long.
‘Pink Splendor’
- Type: Hydrangea macrophylla
- Bloom Time: Spring- Summer
- Plant Size: 4 feet
- Plant Zone: 4-9
Pink Splendor is a beautiful re-blooming variety of bigleaf hydrangea. The mophead flowers will always have a slight hint of a light green to them, while the majority of the flowers will be a soft pink.
This variety is a quick grower, and would be a great choice for a hedge or border planting. Don’t forget to cut these pretty pink flowers for arrangements, they are very long lasting.
‘Little Lime’
- Type: Hydrangea paniculata
- Bloom Time: Summer
- Plant Size: 3-5 feet
- Plant Zone: 3-8
If you know and love the famed ‘Limelight’ hydrangea, you will love ‘Little lime’ just as much! ‘Little Lime’ is the dwarf variety of ‘Limelight’ and boasts the same green flowers that will age into a pretty pink come autumn.
Use this variety anywhere you would use the larger ‘Limelight’, but maybe don’t have enough room for the bigger variety. Containers, perennial gardens, or hedges are excellent places for ‘Little Lime’.
Final Thoughts
If you already have hydrangeas growing in your yard try adding some green blossoms! If you haven’t added any to your garden as of yet, try some green varieties to bump up the verdancy of your yard. Any one of these popular varieties should have your garden bursting with beautiful hydrangea blooms in no time!
