Hydrangeas are beautiful throughout the year, but they truly come into their own during the fall. Imagine your garden filled with vivid, colorful blooms while the rest of nature fades to brown.
I have two types of hydrangeas in my garden, and they’re truly special – those soft pinks and deep purples make everything look magical. If I had more space, I would definitely plant even more.
With a bit of care, they’ll continue to look stunning long after summer (isn’t that great?).
So, if you have room in your garden and need to fill it, consider planting some of these hydrangeas – they all look even more spectacular in the fall.
1. ‘Limelight’ Hydrangea: A Pop of Green Late into the Season
As fall rolls in and most greenery fades to brown or orange, the ‘Limelight’ hydrangea stays fresh and vibrant!
I love a garden full of greenery, and when autumn arrives, I often miss that lush look. But the ‘Limelight’ hydrangea changes everything!
This hydrangea is a midsummer standout with its massive cone-shaped blooms. They start creamy white, turning pink and antique rose as the season goes on. And as the temperatures drop, the leaves turn a striking golden yellow – a perfect finale to the season.
What’s great about ‘Limelight’ is that it blooms well into October. These panicle hydrangeas are perfect for extending your garden’s color palette and can handle more sun than most other varieties.
2. A Vintage Touch with ‘PeeGee’ Hydrangea
‘PeeGee’ hydrangeas add a nostalgic, vintage feel to your garden with their stunning blooms.
Their cone-shaped flower clusters begin as pink buds in late summer, opening into lime-green and creamy-white blossoms before turning a soft blush pink. You get a whole range of colors perfect for that retro garden vibe.
The flowers can reach up to 18 inches in length and last well into the fall, eventually fading to a soft brown. In autumn, the foliage turns beautiful shades of yellow and violet-red before dropping.
‘PeeGee’ is a robust hydrangea, thriving in both cold winters and hot, humid summers. It’s a reliable and adaptable choice for any garden.
3. ‘Endless Summer’ Hydrangea
Wouldn’t we all love it if summer lasted a bit longer? With the ‘Endless Summer’ hydrangea, it almost does!
‘Endless Summer’ is special because it blooms on both old and new wood, providing continuous flowers from early summer until the first frost. Its large, glossy leaves turn a rich burgundy in the fall, adding even more color to your garden.
These blooms also dry beautifully, lasting well into winter.
4. Welcome Fall with ‘Snow Queen’ Hydrangea
As summer fades and cooler temperatures set in, the ‘Snow Queen’ hydrangea is the perfect plant to transition your garden into autumn.
Oakleaf hydrangeas are known for their striking red and burgundy foliage, and ‘Snow Queen’ stands out with its large white flowers that gradually turn pink and violet (reaching up to 12 inches in length).
‘Snow Queen’ is easy to grow and can handle hot summers. It thrives in moist, well-drained soil with a bit of mulch to keep the roots cool and damp.
5. Fire Up the Garden with ‘Quick Fire’ Hydrangea
Want to add some fiery excitement to your garden? ‘Quick Fire’ is the way to go.
Its color-changing blooms begin white, then turn pink before deepening to rose and red. The leaves also take on shades of gold and purplish-red before winter.
As one of the earliest blooming varieties, ‘Quick Fire’ offers a long season of color. It’s a low-maintenance, hardy plant that thrives in full sun to partial shade.
6. Don’t Forget Climbing Hydrangeas
Climbing hydrangeas have been on my wish list for a while now. Did you know they can grow up to 60 feet high? How cool is that?
These stunning plants produce large clusters of fragrant white flowers in late spring, which slowly turn a rustic reddish-brown as the season progresses. And their foliage turns a striking yellow in the fall, with a red bark that looks incredible in winter.
They’re hardy in zones 4 through 8 but are sensitive to extreme cold or heat. Still, they reward you with vertical beauty and breathtaking blooms.
7. End on a Sweet Note with ‘Candy Apple’ Hydrangea
Let’s close out this list with one of my favorites – ‘Candy Apple.’ It looks as sweet as its name suggests!
I love how ‘Candy Apple’ brings a touch of fall to the garden with its creamy-pink blooms and red-orange leaves. It’s like having an entire autumn wrapped into one plant.
‘Candy Apple’ offers the same beautiful blooms as ‘Limelight’ but in a more compact size, making it perfect for containers or as a garden centerpiece. It’s a long-blooming variety and thrives with a light pruning in late winter.
Cut or dried, these flowers are always a hit, especially for minimalist home decor.
