Standard Underplantings With Hydrangea

Contrast and Harmony

• As companion plants, successful underplantings share cultural requirements with hydrangeas. For a pleasing effect, select plants that contrast or harmonize with the boldness of leaf and flower size of hydrangeas and with leaf and blossom colors. The medium to light green leaves of bigleaf hydrangeas look best with underplantings of dark green or variegated foliage. Blue-foliaged plants can clash with blue flowering hydrangeas, but may harmonize with red- or pink-flowering varieties. Bold leaf forms harmonize with bigleaf hydrangeas, while small-leaved plants or grasslike foliage provide a contrast. Oakleaf hydrangeas (Hydrangea quercifolia) have an especially coarse texture and dark green foliage. Flowers are white, tending toward slightly yellow or amber white. Avoid white flowering underplantings, which can make the white of oakleaf blossoms look muddy. Instead, select flowering perennials with blue, red or gold flowers. On Fine Gardening.com Sydney Edison writes: "Pairing opposites always works, hence the success of combinations like blue and orange, yellow and violet, or red and green."

Bigleaf Hydrangea

• Two varieties of bigleaf hydrangeas grow in locations with moist, well-drained, fertile soil and morning sun, mophead hydrangeas (Hydrangea macrophylla var. macrophylla) and lacecap hydrangeas (Hydrangea macrophylla var. normalis). Hardy in U.S. Department of Agriculture plant hardiness zones 6 through 9, bigleaf hydrangeas reach heights of 4 to 8 feet with a compact and somewhat rounded form. Hostas (Hosta spp.), perennials that grow in dense clumps 15 to 36 inches tall, share cultural requirements with bigleaf hydrangeas. Although hostas are more hardy, growing in USDA zones 3 through 8, they can underplant bigleaf hydrangeas in most of their range. Vinca minor (Vinca minor) is a 4- to 8-inch tall vining evergreen with green or variegated leaves and periwinkle blue or white summer flowers in shade or full sun in USDA zones 4 through 9. Vinca minor creates a carpet under hydrangeas and can be used in combination with hostas.

Oakleaf Hydrangea

• Oakleaf hydrangeas are more sun-tolerant than bigleaf hydrangeas. Native to the southeastern United States, they grow in USDA zones 6 through 9 in full sun to part shade. Summer blossoms remain on the plant into fall, turning pink as they age. Reaching 4 to 8 feet tall, oakleaf hydrangea has a somewhat sprawling, open growth habit. Leathery, dark green, deeply lobed leaves and white, conical-shaped flower clusters create a coarse texture in the garden. Fine-leaved grasses provide contrasting texture, showcasing bold oakleafs. A suitable underplanting for this hydrangea is mondo grass (Ophiopogon japonicus), which grows in USDA zones 7 through 10 and reaches a height of 8 to 12 inches. Blue-black berries in fall are harmonious with the reddish fall foliage of oakleaf hydrangeas.

Spring Bulbs

• The height of hydrangeas makes it possible to provide layers of underplantings. Spring bulbs can grow through groundcovers, such as vinca minor, or can be interspersed with clumps of mondo grass for added excitement and color in springtime. Glory of the Snow (Chionodoxa siehei) grows in USDA zones 3 through 9 and reaches a height of 8 inches. Growing in full sun or part shade with blue or white flowers, early spring blossoms add interest to the garden before hydrangeas put on their own flowery show.