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Hydrangeas are envied by many for their blue blossoms, however, their pink flowers are equally as beautiful. There are many different types of hydrangea that will bloom in shades of pink. Their blooms come in so many shades from barely there baby pink to a bold magenta.
Pink pairs so well with just about any other color in the rainbow. Many gardeners love the painting of red and pink together. I personally love to use many shades of pink with purples to create a cottage feel to my perennial gardens. Each shade of pink pairs with so many other colors. It can be used as the main color in the color palette of your garden, or very simply as an accent.
The hydrangeas that I have listed below vary from size to shape, and I think you will be able to find at least one variety that will work for you and your garden. Let’s jump in and take a look at the most popular varieties of pink hydrangeas!
Hydrangea Arborescens Varieties
The smooth hydrangea has very large dome-shaped flowers that have historically been white. New hybrids include pink flowers, as well as stronger stems that can support those large flowers. These shrubs tend to be wider than they are tall and are well used in large spaces.
‘Incrediball Blush’
This pink hydrangea is very light and almost has a silver/gray tone to it. Hardy from zones 3-8, this smooth hydrangea will rebloom through the first frost. This is an upgrade of the classic smooth hydrangea ‘Annabelle’; the flowers are massive and the stems are strong and can withstand heavy rains.
‘Incrediball Blush’ is a medium sized hydrangea growing to about four or five feet, and gowing best in partial to full sun. Grow this hydrangea for its cut flowers, or in a mass planting for a beautiful pink display.
‘Invincibelle Ruby’
This ruby red hydrangea is so pretty. The sepals range from light pink to a burgundy as the season goes on. This is a reblooming hydrangea and will keep your garden filled with pretty deep pink flowers all season long.
The dark green foliage makes a beautiful backdrop for these pretty flowers. This is a little smaller variety of hydrangea, growing to four feet tall and three feet wide. Plant this shrub in full to partial sun for the strongest stems, and for the best reblooming flowers. ‘Invincibelle Ruby’ is hardy from zones 3-8.
‘Eco Puff Pink’
This is a little bit of a different hydrangea option for you. Its flowers remind me of joe pye weed. These flowers are lacecaps, and truly take on the appearance of a wild hydrangea. This would be a gorgeous selection for a naturalized garden or a woodland edge.
This hydrangea does not have any sterile flowers and attracts a lot of pollinators. The flowers will bloom in varying shades of white and pink. Growing to five feet tall and seven feet wide, this shrub is sprawling and beautiful in its own right.
The flowers are only three inches wide, and lack the splendor of what you have come to expect from a hydrangea but give this one a chance!
Hydrangea Macrophylla Varieties
The classic mophead hydrangeas are known and adored for their blue blooms, but don’t count these pinks out! The flowers are large and pillowy and would be a great addition to any garden.
Keep in mind, all of these hydrangea macrophylla varieties are sensitive to the pH of your soil. If your soil is acidic they will lead more towards blue colored flowers. However, if you have sweet soil or if you want to sweeten your soil with garden lime these will be beautiful pink options! If your soil is acidic, you may need to add garden lime to your soil.
Garden lime can be found at most garden centers. Before adding anything to your soil, it is a good idea to perform a soil test. This will let you know exactly how much lime you will need to add, if any.
‘Charm’
The charm mophead hydrangea offers a really beautiful rosy pink flower for your garden. Growing from five to seven feet this would be really pretty in a border planting, or planted in a perennial garden. The flowers are your standard mophead shape and size.
The foliage of this plant is deep green, which accents the pink blossoms very nicely. Plant this hydrangea in partial sun in USDA zones 5-9.
‘Flamingo’
This is a smaller hydrangea variety, and is perfect for your containers! ‘Flamingo’ has baby pink flowers sitting on top of black stems, which would look really pretty with dark foliage plants such as coleus, or a black potato vine.
This hydrangea will grow to about five feet tall, but only about two feet wide. Plant the ‘Flamingo’ hydrangea in partial sun, morning sun is preferable, in USDA zones 6-9.
‘Let’s Dance Can Do’
This plant is new and innovative when it comes to hydrangeas. You could almost consider this to be a foolproof plant. Instead of just blooming at the top of the stem, this hydrangea produces flowers up and down the entire stem.
This ability makes winter kill less of a threat if you live in a colder climate. These flowers are really something special. They are technically lace cap hydrangeas, but the sepals are so large and showy that the fertile flowers become hidden. These florets are bright pink, with a center that starts green and will eventually turn pink, giving the plant a two-toned look.
‘Mariesii’
If you are looking for something a little different, but with the same familiar care as a bigleaf hydrangea, give ‘Mariesii’ a try. ‘Mariesii’ is a variegated leaf hydrangea with lacecap flowers. This is a real stunner of a plant.
The leaves are a soft silvery green with a white edge. The lacecap flowers are pink in alkaline soil and blue in acidic soil. I love to see them sprinkled into a perennial or foundation garden, however they make amazing hedges or borders as well. ‘Mariesii’ is hardy from USDA zones 5-9.
‘Pia’
You may also know this hydrangea by the name ‘Pink Elf’. This is a nice compact hydrangea that grows to about three feet tall. Unlike other bigleaf hydrangeas this pink flower will not change color with the soil pH.
These pink flowers can vary from a bright pink to purple with a light green center and will bloom from mid to late summer. Use this hydrangea in containers, or in a foundation planting. ‘Pia’ or ‘Pink Elf’ is hardy from zones 5-9.
‘Pink Beauty’
This is a really soft, antique looking pink. The flowers can range from green to pink all on one mophead. This would be a really nice addition to a cottage garden planted in any way your heart desires.
The stems are deep burgundy, and the leaves have a hint of silver to them. This hydrangea will grow to four feet tall and would be a really nice mass planting along the front of a home, or along a fence.
Pink Splendor
‘Pink Splendor’ is a beautiful reblooming variety of bigleaf hydrangea. This compact hydrangea will grow to four feet in height and width. Don’t forget to cut these pretty pink flowers for arrangements, they are very long lasting.
Hydrangea Paniculata Varieties
Hydrangea paniculata or the panicle hydrangea is the sun lover of the hydrangea family. The cultivation of panicle hydrangeas has given us endless varieties to choose from. The flowers of panicle hydrangeas are very large and shaped like footballs.
‘Burgundy Lace’
As with most Hydrangea paniculata varieties, these flowers will be white for most of the summer, however ‘Burgundy Lace’ will turn a very pretty pink and burgundy in the late summer.
The cone-shaped blossoms grow to eight inches or more and will bloom from mid-summer into the fall. This is a large hydrangea and will reach heights of eight feet.
‘Candelabra’
Creamy white panicled flowers will quickly change to a blush pink for a long summer show. With red stems, this hydrangea provides beauty to your garden all year long.
‘Candelabra’ will grow from four to six feet. This variety of panicle hydrangea has smaller leaves, making it less likely to wilt from the summer heat or drought.
‘Fire Light Tidbit’
This is a great small panicle hydrangea. Growing to only three feet tall this pretty pink hydrangea is the smallest of all the panicle hydrangeas and would make a great addition to your patio border garden.
Like traditional panicle hydrangeas, these flowers begin the season as white and slowly fade to pink or red as the season progresses.
‘Pinky Winky’
‘Pinky Winky’ is a gardener’s favorite. This variety has very large flowers that will open white and turn pink from the bottom up as the season progresses. The cone shaped flowers will grow up to 16 inches long and will continue to bloom through the first frost.
‘Pinky Winky’ is a very pretty grown in a hedge and will provide excellent summertime privacy, it will grow to about eight feet tall. It is also a great option for very large containers.
‘Vanilla Strawberry’
This variety of hydrangea reminds me of cotton candy. The flowers will bloom as white, and they slowly turn to a very vibrant true pink starting from the bottom up. Using this hydrangea as a hedge would be quite the treat for any gardener.
This is another large panicle hydrangea growing to about seven feet in height. Be sure to snip some of the gorgeous flowers for your indoor arrangements.
Hydrangea Quercifolia Varieties
Oakleaf hydrangeas are uniquely beautiful. Their leaves resemble those of an oak tree, instead of the rounded leaves that the other hydrangeas have. The flowers on oakleaf hydrangeas are cone shaped and can reach up to 10 inches long.
‘Gatsby Pink’
This oakleaf hydrangea has white blossoms that will change to pink shortly after blooming. These pink blossoms will last for a few months. Couple the flowers with the beautiful burgundy fall foliage of this plant and you’ve got the total package as far as a hydrangea is concerned.
This is a large hydrangea and will grow from six to eight feet tall, and would be really pretty placed in the back of a perennial garden.
Final Thoughts
Don’t forget the pinks when you are thinking of hydrangeas! They are equally as beautiful as their blue counterparts. Pink flowers have such a great role in summer gardens, and I believe that adding pink hydrangeas is a great way to get that splash of color. Stick to the varieties above based on your local climate, and you’ll have beautiful pink blooms all season!
