Hydrangeas are versatile plants that can add an English cottage garden aesthetic to your yard. To ensure your hydrangeas look their best, consider planting them alongside suitable companion plants. Companion planting involves growing different plants together in mutually beneficial combinations. Here are some recommended companion plants for hydrangeas, as suggested by a garden designer. Some of these plants are ideal companions for sun-loving hydrangeas, while others are better suited for shade-loving varieties.
Meet Our Expert
Laura Najman Janney, owner of The Inspired Garden in New Jersey, is a garden designer with expertise in this area.
Select Plants with Similar Needs
While most hydrangeas thrive in filtered shade or morning light, there are contemporary varieties like ‘Limelight’, ‘Quick Fire’, and ‘Moon Dance’ that can thrive in partial to full sun conditions. When choosing companion plants, consider the sunlight requirements of your hydrangeas.
According to Laura Najman Janney, picking plants based on their growing conditions is crucial when planning a garden. Rather than focusing solely on color coordination, prioritize selecting plants that have similar sunlight and water needs.
Tips
Planting annual seeds like zinnias, poppies, and snapdragons in empty spaces can make your garden look more abundant. Janney recommends choosing larger, looser annuals to fill out your garden quickly and add color.
Allium
Alliums have impressive globe-shaped blooms that can make a statement when planted alongside hydrangeas. ‘Globemaster’ is a favorite due to its large flowers. Allium, an ornamental onion, thrives in full sun and well-drained soil, making it a suitable companion for sun-loving hydrangeas.
Growing Conditions: Full sun, well-draining soil
Size: 1 to 4 feet tall, 3 to 10 inches wide
Zones: 4–10
Astilbe
Astilbe complements hydrangeas that prefer shade with its plumed blooms in various colors and fern-like leaves. Planting astilbe alongside hydrangeas can extend the color display in your garden.
Growing Conditions: Part to full sun, shade tolerant, loamy soil
Size: 6 to 24 inches tall, 12 to 60 inches wide
Zones: 3–8
Bachelor Button
If you have hydrangeas in full sun, consider pairing them with bachelor buttons, a perennial flower that loves full sun, attracts pollinators, and produces striking blue flowers. Bachelor buttons bloom before hydrangeas and can continue blooming throughout summer if well-maintained.
Growing Conditions: Part to full sun, well-drained soil
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Height: 24 inches, Width: 12 to 24 inches
Zones: 3–8
Plant: Boxwood
By Carson Downing
Boxwoods are timeless and popular hedge shrubs that bring visual interest and clean architectural lines to any garden or yard. They can be trimmed into neat geometric shapes to create a striking contrast with the organic shapes of hydrangeas. Boxwoods are low-maintenance, evergreen, and long-lasting.
Growing Conditions: Part to full sun; well-drained loamy soil
Size: 2 to 8 feet tall, up to 8 feet wide
Zones: 5–9
Plant: Coneflower
By Carson Downing
Coneflowers, also known as Echinacea, are beloved by pollinators and make a great companion for sun-loving hydrangeas. They produce daisy-like blooms in various colors such as yellows, purples, reds, and whites. Plant them in clusters in the middle of mixed borders for continuous summer blooming. Recommended varieties include ‘Raspberry Truffle’ and ‘Pow Wow’ for their vibrant hues. Coneflowers also make excellent cut flowers for indoor arrangements.
Growing Conditions: Full to partial sun; well-drained loamy soil
Size: 3 to 4 feet tall, 1 to 2 feet wide
Zones: 3–8
Plant: Coral Bells
By Carson Downing
Coral bells, or Heuchera, are perennials with stunning foliage in a range of colors like orange, silver, red, green, and purple, complemented by tiny bell-shaped blooms. These plants attract butterflies and hummingbirds and provide ground cover to suppress weeds. Plant them in groups of three for a striking display.
Growing Conditions: Part to full sun; well-drained soil
Size: 8 to 18 inches tall, 12 to 14 inches wide
Zones: 4a–9a
Plant: Ferns
By Marty Baldwin
Ferns add lush greenery to gardens with blooming hydrangeas and thrive in shady areas. While hydrangeas bloom in summer, ferns provide year-round interest and color. Lady ferns and Christmas ferns are recommended for their feathery foliage and evergreen qualities. Christmas ferns retain their greenery when other plants are bare, adding beauty to the garden during winter.
Growing Conditions: Part sun to shade; well-drained soil
Size: 1 to 3 feet tall and wide
Zones: 2–10
Plant: Geranium/Cranesbill
By Justin Hancock
Perennial geranium, also known as cranesbill, is a popular garden choice for its jewel-toned blue, pink, and purple flowers. With a low mounding habit, it serves as an effective weed-suppressing ground cover when planted alongside hydrangeas. This versatile plant thrives in both full sun and partial shade,
Hostas are a popular choice for gardeners due to their tropical appearance and variety of colors, shapes, and patterns. They complement the elegant, upright shape of hydrangeas and are ideal for creating mixed or woodland borders. However, if deer frequent your garden, you may want to think twice about planting hostas, as they are often targeted as a “deer salad bar.”
Growing in part sun to shade with well-drained soil, hostas can reach heights of 6 to 48 inches and widths of 1 to 5 feet, suitable for zones 3 to 9. Pairing hostas with hydrangeas can create a beautiful and harmonious garden setting.
Another classic combination for gardens is phlox and hydrangeas. Phlox, a perennial with clusters of blooms in shades of pink, purple, and white, mirrors the look of hydrangeas. Depending on the variety, phlox can be low-growing and act as a groundcover or tall, reaching up to 4 feet in height. Garden phlox blooms throughout the summer, while creeping and woodland phlox are shorter varieties.
Speedwell, with its spiky flowers in white, pink, purple, or blue, is a versatile perennial that can tolerate various growing conditions. It provides a nice contrast to hydrangea blooms and comes in both groundcover and upright varieties.
Spirea is a dense shrub that blooms in the spring, making it a lovely companion for hydrangeas. There are many varieties of spirea available, with options like ‘Blue Kazoo’ and ‘Goldflame’ offering different heights and foliage colors. For a larger spirea, consider Double Reeves spirea, a classic white-blooming variety that can reach heights of 8 feet.
Each of these plant combinations can enhance the beauty of your garden while providing a variety of colors, textures, and heights to create a harmonious landscape.
