And here they are, for large or small gardens, these heavenly hydrangeas have lots of blooms in blue, to see the sky even on a cloudy day!

1: ‘Big Daddy’ Bigleaf Hydrangea (Hydrangea macrophylla ‘Big Daddy’)

We can tale flight into the heavens of traditional looking garden with a real giant, the “Boeing 747” of blue colored hydrangeas… Yes, because ‘Big Daddy’ bigleaf hydrangea has massive globular, almost spherical inflorescences are really massive, reaching a jaw dropping 14 inches in diameter (35 cm)! But their huge size is all but daunting…

2: ‘Cityline’ Hydrangea Bigleaf (Hydrangea macrophylla ‘Cityline’)

For a compact shrub, one you can easily grow in containers, you may wish to have a look at ‘Citilyne’ bigleaf hydrangea, which only grows to 3 feet tall and in spread (90 cm). But don’t be deceived by its diminutive size, it will still produce lovely spherical clusters of blue flowers all the way from early summer to early fall.

3: ‘Sumida no Hanabi’ Bigleaf Hydrangea

And now we meet a really unusual variety of bigleaf hydrangea, with a very strange name as well: ‘Sumida no Hanabi’ bigleaf hydrangea, which means “fireworks of the Sumida river” in Japanese. And you will understand why, when you look at its inflorescences

4: ‘Blue Heaven’ Bigleaf Hydrangea (Hydrangea macrophylla ‘Blue Heaven’)

Of course we could not leave out a variety called ‘Blue Heaven’ from our selection! But it is not just for its name; in fact, this bigleaf hydrangea has a very special quality indeed! It is a massive marathon bloomer! Expect to see the round and dense flowery clusters on both old and new growth and even if the buds have suffered from some winter damage!

5: ‘Cityline Mars’ Bigleaf Hydrangea (Hydrangea macrophilla ‘Cityline Mars’)

And here’s another small variety of bigleaf hydrangea; however, this time, it comes with a twist, and it is called ‘Cityline Mars’.  And what is this unusual trait? It is bicolor, of course!

6: ‘Summer Beauty’ Bigleaf Hydrangea (Hydrangea macrophylla ‘Summer Beauty’)

Just a bit bigger than ‘Citilyne Mars’, bigleaf hydrangea ‘Summer Beauty’ is a really floriferous variety for your garden, or terrace if you wish. Its blossoms come in globular clusters, starting in early fall, opening on both old and new growth, and they almost cover the whole shrub when this sky inspired floral spectacle is at its most vigorous peaks…

7: ‘Passion’ Bigleaf Hydrangea (Hydrangea macrophilla ‘Passion’)

For a really spectacular effect, you should definitely have a look at ‘Passion’, a double cultivar of bigleaf hydrangea… And you won’t need to wait for long to see its amazing blossoms, because it will start opening its buds in mid spring, and it will continue till early fall!

8: ‘Lanarth White’ Lacecap Hydrangea (Hydrangea macrophylla ‘Lanarth White’)

No, I didn’t get the color wrong… You see, ‘Lanarth White’ is a hydrangea variety that belongs to the lacecap group, and this has a very special quality… The corymbs are usually flat, and they have two types of flowers in them… The sterile blooms are bigger and they grow around the edges of the cluster, and in our cultivar, they are almost star shaped, with four pointed petals and, yes, white…

9: ‘Early Blue’ Bigleaf Hydrangea (Hydrangea marcophylla ‘Early Blue’)

Yes, you guessed it! I would like to show you ‘Early Blue’ bigleaf hydrangea for one main reason… As its name suggests, it is an early starter, and in fact, it will open its first blooms in mid spring, but it also has the stamina to keep repeating its floral spectacle till early fall!

10: ‘Tuff Stuff Ah-Ha’ Mountain Hydrangea (Hydrangea serrata ‘Tuff Stuff Ah-Ha’)

‘Tuff Stuff Ah-Ha’ has a funny name, but also a cheerful and playful personality. In fact, its inflorescences like to mix and match shapes and shades… Starting in early summer, in fact, the sterile blossoms at the margins open, and they have long and pointed petals, elliptical and looking like the rays of stars.

11: ‘Zorro’ Lacecap Hydrangea (Hydrangea macrophylla ‘Zorro’)

‘Zorro’ is a very popular and compact variety of lacecap hydrangea, and, in fact, it has won the much coveted Award of Garden Merit by the Royal Horticultural Society! Four broad but pointed petals unfold as the first sterile flowers blossom, in early summer, and they will have a color that ranges from sky to sapphire blue, and they look a bit like butterfly wings.

12: ‘Spike’ Bigleaf Hydrangea (Hydrangea macrophylla ‘Spike’)

Now, imagine mixing the color of the sky with the waves of the sea… What you get is ‘Spike’ another compact variety of bigleaf hydrangea for your garden or patio… Yes, because the corymbs are round, spherical and about 4 inches across (10 cm) and starting their floral display in early summer, then repeating till early fall.

13: ‘Peppermint’ Bigleaf Hydrangea (Hydrangea macrophylla ‘Peppermint’)

Just the name gives you a sense of freshness… ‘Peppermint’ is a really decorative variety of bigleaf hydrangea, which plays with colors with the expertise of a consummate artist. You will notice it when the first blooms open in its round, globular corymbs, because they are quite extraordinary, often asymmetrical and reminiscent of butterfly wings, or even orchids, with bigger and smaller but harmonic petals! And on these flowers, you will notice a shade of blue that ranges from azure to sky or sapphire (again, depending on soil pH) or even violet (in close to neutral environments), but fading to white at the margins. These bicolor blossoms will come again and again in clusters of about 4 to 6 inches across (10 to 15 cm) till fall, and quite generously as well. A bigger shrub than many others we have seen so far, it also boasts a really lush and healthy set of dark and glossy, clearly serrated leaves.

14: ‘Emotion’ Bigleaf Hydrangea (Hydrangea macrophylla ‘Emotion’)

‘Emotion’ is a loved pink variety of bigleaf hydrangea, and usually grown for this color. But it doubles perfectly well into a blue beauty if you grow it in acidic soil (or violet in neutral environments)… In fact, it has quite large flowers, that range between 1 and 2 inches across (2.5 to 5.0 cm), and they are double as well, forming lovely rosette like displays, with bigger almost triangular petals at the back, and smaller ones in the center.

15: ‘Nikko Blue’ Bigleaf Hydrangea (Hydrangea macrophylla ‘Nikko Blue’)

We conclude our flight with a real classic of blue hydrangea, ‘Nikko Blue’. An heirloom bigleaf variety from Japan, it is also one of the most popular around the world and a best seller…