Bigleaf Hydrangea (Hydrangea macrophylla) - blue flowers, illustrated plant card

Illustration

Bigleaf Hydrangea (Hydrangea macrophylla) - real photo — Photo by zebedeugalinha / iNaturalist (CC BY)

Photo credits and licenses

Real photographs from naturalists and photographers worldwide, each used under its own license. Credit: Photo by zebedeugalinha / iNaturalist (CC BY). How photos are sourced →

Bigleaf Hydrangea

Hydrangea macrophylla

Also called french hydrangea, hortensia, mophead hydrangea, lacecap hydrangea and big leaf hydrangea

Bigleaf Hydrangea blooms from June through September.

Design a garden with this →Shop hydrangeas at Plant Addicts(paid link)

Bloom calendar

Bloom time

Jun–Sep

not yet checked

Hardiness

Zones 5–9

checked

Sun

Part sun

checked

Water

High water

not yet checked

Mature size

5 ft × 5 ft

checked

Type

Shrub

house classification

Months here are Northern Hemisphere months; in the Southern Hemisphere, shift them by six months.

Plant it in part sun. It prefers high water. It is hardy in USDA zones 5–9. Expect it to reach about 5 ft tall and 5 ft wide at maturity, in roughly 4 years (not yet checked).

Verification

Core facts checked

What was checked

Mature height and spread, hardiness zones, sun and the trait tags were checked against named botanical sources for this plant. The bloom months and water need on this page were not, and each fact above says which. The planting, spacing and size sections are derived from these checked facts by a fixed rule, not checked separately, and the plant type is the library's own classification.

See the 8 sources it was checked against

When to plant Bigleaf Hydrangea

Plant Bigleaf Hydrangea in early spring as soon as the soil is workable, or in early fall at least six weeks before your first frost, so roots establish in cool weather. In zone 7, the middle of its hardy zones 5 to 9, spring means March to May and fall means September or October. Once settled, it blooms from June to September.

Month-by-month timing for your zone is on the planting calendar; if you garden near zone 7, the middle of this plant's hardy range, start with zone 7 in March. Derived from the plant's category, zones and bloom months plus typical zone frost dates, not checked separately.

How big does Bigleaf Hydrangea get?

Illustration of Bigleaf Hydrangea drawn to scale beside an adult — About 5 ft tall and 5 ft wide at maturity: about as tall as an adult.

See Bigleaf Hydrangea in a garden plan: the planner shows it in 3D beside everything else you add, growing toward this size over the years.

How far apart to plant Bigleaf Hydrangea

Derived from the mature spread above by a fixed rule, not checked separately: spacing is the spread, center to center.

Space Bigleaf Hydrangea about 5 ft apart, center to center, so each plant has room to reach its full width.

Plant them

5 ft apart

Per 10 sq ft

one needs about 25 sq ft

4 by 8 ft bed

about 1

Add Bigleaf Hydrangea to a garden plan and the planner draws it at its full width, so you see the spacing before you buy.

Where these facts come from

Bigleaf Hydrangea's height, spread, hardiness zones, sun and trait tags were checked against 8 published sources on July 30, 2026. Each one is linked below with every fact it carried, which can include a fact this page still marks as not yet checked, because a source carrying a value is not the same as the value being held to the standard. Facts not in that list, and the planting, spacing and size sections, are not covered by these sources.

Missouri Botanical GardenHydrangea macrophyllaheight, spread, hardiness zones, sun and trait tags
NC State ExtensionHydrangea macrophyllaheight, spread, hardiness zones, sun and trait tags
The Morton ArboretumBig-leaved hydrangea, Hydrangea macrophyllaheight, spread, hardiness zones, sun and trait tags
umass.eduUMass Extension Landscape, Nursery and Urban Forestry Program (Growing...height, spread, hardiness zones, sun and trait tags
Oregon State UniversityHydrangea macrophyllaheight, spread, hardiness zones and sun
University of Illinois ExtensionBigleaf Hydrangea, Hydrangea macrophyllaheight, spread, hardiness zones and sun
Clemson Home and Garden Information CenterHydrangea Care in South Carolinaheight and sun
University of Georgia ExtensionGrowing Bigleaf Hydrangeasun

How the checking works, and what each standard covers, is on the verified plants page.

16 more colors in the Hydrangeas group

Same genus, similar care - pick the one you are growing.

Compare every variety in the Hydrangeas group

Every figure is the variety's own page fact. Tap a name to open it.

Variety	Color	Blooms	Hardiness	Sun	Size (H × W)
Bigleafthis page	Blue	Jun–Sep	Zones 5–9	Part sun	5 ft × 5 ft
BloomStruck	Pink	Jun–Sep	Zones 5–9	Part shade	3.5 ft × 4 ft
Bobo	White	Jul–Sep	Zones 3–8	Full sun	2.5 ft × 3.5 ft
Invincibelle Spirit II	Pink	Jun–Sep	Zones 3–8	Part sun	3.5 ft × 3.5 ft
Let's Dance Rhythmic Blue	Blue	Jun–Sep	Zones 5–9	Part shade	2.5 ft × 2.5 ft
Limelight	White	Jul–Sep	Zones 3–8	Full sun	7 ft × 7 ft
Little Lime	-	Jul–Sep	Zones 3–8	Full sun	4 ft × 4 ft
Magical Candle	White	Jul–Sep	Zones 5–8	Full sun	4.5 ft × 3.5 ft
Oakleaf	White	May–Jul	Zones 5–9	Part sun	6 ft × 6 ft
Panicle	White	Jul–Sep	Zones 3–8	Full sun	6.5 ft × 6 ft
PeeGee	White	Jul–Sep	Zones 3–8	Full sun	11 ft × 10 ft
Phantom	White	Jul–Sep	Zones 3–8	Full sun	6.5 ft × 7.5 ft
Pinky Winky	White	Jul–Sep	Zones 3–9	Full sun	7 ft × 6 ft
Quick Fire	White	Jun–Sep	Zones 3–8	Full sun	6 ft × 5.5 ft
Smooth	White	Jun–Sep	Zones 3–9	Part shade	4 ft × 4 ft
Strawberry Sundae	White	Jul–Sep	Zones 3–8	Full sun	4.5 ft × 3.5 ft
Vanilla Strawberry	White	Jul–Sep	Zones 4–8	Full sun	7 ft × 4.5 ft

Good to know about Bigleaf Hydrangea

Curated from university extensions, botanic gardens and other primary sources, with the source named on every note. A note reports what its source says; where that differs from a fact above, the fact above is this entry's stored value, and its mark says whether it has been checked.

Safety

Toxic to dogs, cats and horses; the leaves and buds hold a cyanogenic glycoside. Eating it mostly causes vomiting and diarrhea. per ASPCA

Worth knowing

Flower color really tracks aluminum, not pH. Soil pH matters only because it decides whether the roots can take up aluminum; without it, flowers stay pink. per NC State

When to prune

Old-wood mopheads and lacecaps: prune right after flowering, before about August 1. Reblooming cultivars flower on old and new wood, so prune them in spring. per University of Maryland

How to change color

Acidic soil (pH 5.0 to 5.5) turns flowers blue; alkaline soil (pH 6.0 and up) turns them pink. Sulfur for blue, lime for pink; it takes months. per Clemson

White cultivars stay white

White hydrangeas stay white at any soil pH: they never make the pigment the color change needs, so amending the soil only risks nutrient problems. per Mississippi State

Buds are cold-tender

The roots are winter-hardy but the flower buds are not. Winter cold, drying wind or a late spring freeze can cost you next year's bloom. per NC State

Siting fights two diseases

Two leaf diseases pull opposite ways: powdery mildew is worse in deep shade, Cercospora leaf spot worse in full sun. Morning sun with afternoon shade fights both. per UConn

What pairs well with Bigleaf Hydrangea

Good companions share its growing conditions and add something it lacks: an earlier or later bloom, a lower carpet in front, or structure through winter.

Bugleweed
Takes part sun to part shade and moderate to high water; opens in mid spring and overlaps into this one's season; low at 6 in, to carpet the ground beneath; evergreen, so the bed keeps its shape through winter.
Primrose
Takes part sun to part shade and moderate to high water; blooms in early spring, before this one opens; low at 8 in, to carpet the ground beneath; both offer pollinator forage, in different months.
Aster
Takes full sun to part sun and moderate to high water; overlaps, then carries the display into mid fall; its seed heads stand through winter, for structure and the birds; both offer pollinator forage.
Snowdrop
Takes part sun to part shade and moderate to high water; blooms in late winter, before this one opens; low at 5 in, to carpet the ground beneath; both offer pollinator forage, in different months.
Flowering Dogwood
Takes part sun to part shade and moderate to high water; blooms in mid spring, before this one opens; both offer pollinator forage, in different months; taller at 23 ft, for the layer behind it.
Azalea
Takes part sun to part shade and moderate to high water; blooms in mid spring, before this one opens; both offer pollinator forage, in different months; evergreen, so the bed keeps its shape through winter.
Winterberry
Takes full sun to part sun and high water; blooms in mid fall as this one finishes; both offer pollinator forage, in different months.
Wisteria
Takes full sun to part sun and moderate to high water; blooms in mid spring, before this one opens; both offer pollinator forage, in different months; climbs to 26 ft behind it, height without the footprint.