Hydrangea Section Macrophyllae Cultivars H

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Credits

Julian Sutton (2025)

Recommended citation
Sutton, J. (2025), 'Hydrangea Section Macrophyllae Cultivars H' from the website Trees and Shrubs Online (treesandshrubsonline.org/articles/hydrangea/hydrangea-section-macrophyllae-cultivars-h/). Accessed 2026-09-16.

Family

  • Hydrangeaceae

Genus

Other taxa in genus

Glossary

section
(sect.) Subdivision of a genus.
entire
With an unbroken margin.
hybrid
Plant originating from the cross-fertilisation of genetically distinct individuals (e.g. two species or two subspecies).

Credits

Julian Sutton (2025)

Recommended citation
Sutton, J. (2025), 'Hydrangea Section Macrophyllae Cultivars H' from the website Trees and Shrubs Online (treesandshrubsonline.org/articles/hydrangea/hydrangea-section-macrophyllae-cultivars-h/). Accessed 2026-09-16.

The vast number of cultivars in this Section forces us to list them (still only a sample of the thousands which have been named) on a series of alphabetical pages. For general information see H. macrophylla and H. serrata. The majority clearly belong in (or are very close to) either H. macrophylla or H. serrata, but there are many known and suspected hybrids, with ongoing uncertainty around the extent to which H. serrata genes may be present in the bulk of H. macrophylla-like cultivars. Certain plants have been mentioned in garden literature under both species, and as hybrids. Hence we include the entire spectrum here. At the head of each entry we classify them as lacecap or mophead (there are a few intermediates), then to species as follows: macrophylla (where there is evidence that this is not a hybrid, usually wild origin); near macrophylla (the bulk of cultivars generally resembling macrophylla but which might include genes from serrata); macrophylla × serrata (good evidence of hybridity); serrata (where hybridity is not suspected). In this we normally follow the opinion of the International Register (Association Shamrock 2022). On synonyms, we follow the Register where it is clear on which is the correct name, unless we have reason to disagree. Sometimes there is real uncertainty.


'H2002'

Mophead, near macrophylla

Synonyms / alternative names
Hydrangea MISS SAORI
Hydrangea '20-2'

(You&Me® Series) Flowers double with broad sepals, white crisply edged in pink, the colour spreading later; claimed as remontant. Leaves purple-flushed at first; height to about 1 m. Selected 2006 by Ryoji Irie, Japan, and named for his wife. Introduced 2014 in Europe, where it was RHS Chelsea Plant of the Year (inevitably more a comment on beauty than on garden worthiness), 2017 in North America. Protected by US Plant Patent 26,657 and European Plant Breeders’ Rights (Boebel 2018; Dirr 2021; Overett 2014; Google Patents 2024). ‘Rather less than weatherproof in UK garden conditions’ notes Maurice Foster (Foster 2023).


'H21-3'

Mophead, near macrophylla

Synonyms / alternative names
Hydrangea PRINCESS DIANA
Hydrangea WOW TIME

Flowers double with many narrow sepals, purplish / more typically deep pink. Compact, to about 1.25 m. Selected 2010 by Ryoji Irie, Kyoto, Japan; parentage given as ‘Yamaajisai’ × ‘97 Pyra’. Protected by US Plant Patent 27,935 and European Plant Breeder’s Rights (Hydrangeas Plus 2024; Google Patents 2024; Association Shamrock 2022). There is no obvious basis for claims that it is a hybrid with H. paniculata.


'H211905'

Mophead, near macrophylla

Synonyms / alternative names
Hydrangea TIVOLI

Flowers blue/lilac/pink, with white sepal margin. Compact habit with strong stems, suitable for pots. Selected 2009 by German breeder Niels Arts of the Hydrangea Breeders Association; protected by US Plant Patent 211,905 and European Plant Breeders’ Rights. Currently widespread in the potted plant trade on both sides of the Atlantic under various Tivoli-related monikers (Ball Seed 2024; Signature Hydrangeas 2024; Google Patents 2024).


'Hakucho'

Lacecap, serrata

Sterile flowers typically 4–5, white, double; fertile flowers few, sometimes approaching a mophead when well fed; leaves narrow, light green; height to about 80 cm. Less robust and free-flowering than many; best in shade. A wild find on Mt Fuji by Gotemba Nursery, Japan; the name translates as ‘swan’. (Foster 2023; van Gelderen & van Gelderen 2004; Association Shamrock 2022)


'Hakusen'

Mophead, serrata?

Flowers white, unusually large for an H. serrata, in dense, rounded heads about 6 cm across, only at the ends of shoots; height to 0.75 m. Leaves large for H. serrata; hybridity with H. macrophylla seems possible. Flowering is patchy for Maurice Foster, Kent, UK. A Japanese find by Kiyoshige Yamaguchi on Mt. Horaiji, Japan. (Foster 2023; van Gelderen & van Gelderen 2004; Titan’s Garden 2024)


'Hamburg'

Mophead, near macrophylla

Flowers blue / deep pink, with large serrated sepals, in very large heads, turning red in autumn and good for drying; floriferous. Height about 1.5 m, with bold, dark green leaves. One of the classic mopheads, introduced 1931 by Heinrich Schadendorf, Germany, along with very similar sister seedlings ‘Altona’ and ‘Europa’. (Church 2007; van Gelderen & van Gelderen 2004; Boebel 2011; Association Shamrock 2022). ‘Stupendous’ (Church 2007). ‘Raham’ (HAMBURG) is a different plant.


'Harbits'

Lacecap, near macrophylla

Synonyms / alternative names
Hydrangea EDGY® ORBITS

Sterile flowers semi-double with a variable number of smaller extra sepals, blue/pink with distinct white edges, a striking effect; fertile flowers pigmented; inflorescences long lasting, and drying well. Potentially very vigorously growing; flowers well in the cold Finger Lakes region of New York State. A seedling of H. ‘Harlequin’ selected 2005 by Spring Meadow Nursery, Michigan, protected by US Plant Patent 21,186 (Boebel 2011; Google Patents 2024). ‘Horheart’ (EDGY® HEARTS), a mophead with similar white-edged sepals, had an entirely different origin but was marketed alongside it.


'Harry's Red'

Mophead, near macrophylla

Synonyms / alternative names
Hydrangea 'Harry's Red Topper'

Flowers tending strongly towards red, even on acidic soils no more than purplish red; inflorescences quite small. A compact plant no more than 1 m in height, sometimes much less; tolerant of full sun. The name goes back at least to Aimé Gyselinck, Belgium, 1960 (Foster 2023; van Gelderen & van Gelderen 2004; Staels 2024; Association Shamrock 2022). Glyn Church (2007) rates it ‘one of the best compact reds’.


'Hatfield Rose'

Mophead, near macrophylla

Flowers with serrate, cordate sepals, tending strongly towards red, often with a white eye; free-flowering. Height to about 1.25 m. A sport on ‘Westfalen’ introduced before 1938 by the Stuart Low nursery, Enfield, UK; now seldom offered in Europe but still in the Australian nursery trade. (Haworth-Booth 1984; van Gelderen & van Gelderen 2004; Association Shamrock 2022).


'Hatsushimo'

Lacecap, macrophylla

Sterile flowers more or less white; fertile flowers blue/pink. Leaves thick, heavily splashed, streaked and dotted green/white, a striking but not necessarily desirable effect; shoots reverting to pure green should be removed. Japanese origin, distributed by Gotemba Nursery; in the North American trade in a small way (Broken Arrow Nursery 2024; Plant Delights Nursery 2024). ‘Doomed to the scrapheap of antiquity’ prophesied Dirr (2021).


'Hba202911'

Mophead, near macrophylla

Synonyms / alternative names
Hydrangea EARLY BLUE
Hydrangea EARLY PINK

Included here as a particularly widely offered example of the many cultivars currently marketed in Europe by the Hydrangea Breeders Association for the potted plant trade, not primarily for garden use although some will undoubtedly find a place there. Flowers blue/pink; the distinguishing features claimed in the patent application (compact upright habit, quick growth, strong stems, durable leaves, large inflorescences) are simply the sine qua non of any modern commercial cultivar, and it is worth noting that the intense blue flower colour described was on plants grown in a soil-free medium at pH 4.4. Presumably aluminium levels in the potting medium determine which Trade Designation is applied. ‘Hba202911’ was selected in 2001 by Niels Arts, the Netherlands; these HBA cultivars are routinely protected by both US Plant Patents (in this case PP 16,441) and European Plant Breeders’ Rights (Hydrangea Breeders Association 2024; Google Patents 2024).


'Heinrich Seidel'

Mophead, near macrophylla

Flowers with large, entire sepals, purplish or mauve / red-pink, rarely properly blue, crowded in rather flattened heads and ageing attractively. Blooms very well in cold upstate New York using Boebel’s (2011) method. Tall, to 2 m. Introduced about 1929 by Friedrich Matthes, Germany, and double starred by Haworth-Booth (1984) as being among the best of his day (Church 2007; Lawson-Hall & Rothera 1995; van Gelderen & van Gelderen 2004; Association Shamrock 2022). The cultivar name commemorates the 19th century writer from one of whose poems the German catchphrase dem Ingenieur ist nichts zu schwere (nothing’s too hard for an engineer) is taken.


'Hmopico04–0'

Lacecap

Synonyms / alternative names
Hydrangea GAME CHANGER® PICOTEE

Sterile flowers white, developing a pink (or blue?) edge; fertile flowers pink. Claimed as hardy to Zone 5, with a long flowering season in diverse climates, and flower induction both daylength neutral and not requiring a cool period; height to 1 m; branches sufficiently lax that it is sometimes marketed for hanging baskets. Selected before 2021 by Jim Devereux, Green Fuse Botanicals, California; protected by the largely uninformative US Utility Patent (not Plant Patent) 12096739B2. Parentage undisclosed, but Oregon grower Hydrangeas Plus suggests that it may have a member of the H. scandens complex as well as H. macrophylla in its background, based on leaf shape. (Green Fuse Botanicals 2024; Greenhouse Grower 2024; Avant Flora 2024; Google Patents 2024; Hydrangeas Plus 2024)


'Hmupsi'

Mophead, near macrophylla

Synonyms / alternative names
Hydrangea CAPE COD

(Seaside Serenade® series) Flowers pink/blue in large heads; remontant. Height to about 1.25 m. A grandchild of ‘Bailmer’ (ENDLESS SUMMER®) and has much in common with it. Selected 2011 by Tim Wood of Spring Meadow Nursery, Michigan, but marketed from 2016 by Monrovia; protected by US Plant Patent 28,974 (Boebel 2018; Dirr 2021; Monrovia 2023; Google Patents 2024).


'Hobella'

Near macrophylla

(Hovaria® Series) Neither quite a lacecap or a mophead: a ring of large sterile flowers with rounded sepals encircles a more or less flat head of small but still sterile flowers. All flowers tend towards soft, pale pink, ageing very attractively through green to red; flowers annually but not profusely in Zone 6 New York State for Boebel (2011). Height to about 1.25 m, best protected from midday sun; suits pots or the open garden. The first of the Hovaria® Series, introduced 1994 by Koos & Wilko Hofstede, Germany, who – perhaps uniquely – praised it in a gushing poem on their own website (Hovaria 2018; Church 2007; Foster 2023; van Gelderen & van Gelderen 2004; Association Shamrock 2022)


'Hobergine'

Mophead, near macrophylla

(Hovaria® Series) Flowers purple / red-pink; the purple colour in the presence of aluminium which inspires the name is darkest with higher light levels. Height to about 1.2 m. Selected 1996 by Koos & Wilko Hofstede, Germany (Hovaria 2018; Royal Horticultural Society 2024; Association Shamrock 2022)


'Hokomarevo'

Mophead, near macrophylla

Synonyms / alternative names
Hydrangea EVERLASTING® REVOLUTION
Hydrangea MAGICAL® REVOLUTION

Awards
AGM

(Magical® / Everlasting® series) Flowers blue/pink, in tight, durable heads, taking on green tints with time. Leaves olive green; very compact, upright, branching habit; height to about 60 cm; flowering terminally on all shoots. Very distinct, a sport on ‘Xian’ originally selected for cut flower production in 2007 by Kolster BV, the Netherlands. Protected by US Plant Patent 22,260 and European Plant Breeders’ Rights (Boebel 2018; Foster 2023; Royal Horticultural Society 2018; Google Patents 2024)


'Holstein'

Mophead, near macrophylla

Flowers sky blue / pink, with very large serrate sepals to 7 cm long, in relatively small heads; free flowering, able to bloom on lateral shoots later in the season. Height to about 1.5 m. Introduced 1928 by Heinrich Schadendorff, Germany. (Haworth-Booth 1984; Hydrangea Derby 2024; van Gelderen & van Gelderen 2004; Association Shamrock 2022)


'Hopcorn'

Mophead, near macrophylla

(Hovaria® Series) Flowers deep blue / intense red-pink; sepals thick and cupped, as in ‘Ayesha’. Height to about 1.2 m. A sport on ‘Mathilde Gütges’, initially just one sector of an inflorescence spotted by Wilko Hofstede, Germany, and stabilized over time; introduced 2005 (Hovaria 2018; Church 2007; Association Shamrock 2022)


'Hore0007'

Mophead, near macrophylla

Synonyms / alternative names
Hydrangea ROSSO GLORY

(Rembrandt® / BloomChampion series) Flowers initially green, quickly becoming irregularly flushed, edged or zoned red until finally completely red. Compact habit to about 1 m claimed; marketed particularly as a pot plant. Selected 2013 by Nick van Rosmalen and introduced by the Lendert de Vos nursery, The Netherlands. Protected by US Plant Patent 30,893 and European Plant Breeders’ Rights (Kwekerij Lendert de Vos 2024; Signature Hydrangeas 2024; Google Patents 2024).


'Hore0046'

Mophead, near macrophylla

Synonyms / alternative names
Hydrangea VIBRANT VERDE

(Rembrandt® / BloomChampion series) Flowers initially green with white centres, maturing pale pink, ageing red. Compact habit to about 1 m; marketed particularly as a pot plant. Selected 2013 by Nick van Rosmalen and introduced by the Lendert de Vos nursery, the Netherlands. Protected by US Plant Patent 30,938 and European Plant Breeders’ Rights (Royal Horticultural Society 2023; Signature Hydrangeas 2024; Google Patents 2024).


'Horheart'

Mophead, near macrophylla

Synonyms / alternative names
Hydrangea EDGY® HEARTS

Sepals, lilac / dark pink with distinct white edges, a striking effect. Height around 1.25 m; slow growing for Boebel (2011). From a controlled cross involving H. ‘Moritzburg’, selected 2004 by Katrin Meinl, Dresden, Germany. Protected by US Plant Patent 22,368.(Dirr 2021; Google Patents 2024; Association Shamrock 2022) ‘Harbits’ (EDGY® ORBITS), a lacecap with similar white-edged sepals, had an entirely different origin but was marketed alongside it by Spring Meadow Nursery / Proven Winners, Michigan.


'Hörnli'

Mophead, near macrophylla

Synonyms / alternative names
Hydrangea 'Mini Hörnli'

Flowers tending strongly towards bright pink, with narrow, non-overlapping sepals, crowded in small heads. Very dwarf, rarely much over 50 cm. By all accounts temperamental; loved by some but despised by others, it seems not to suit colder climates and is easily disfigured by rain. Bred in Switzerland, at the Federal Research Institute for Horticulture, Wädenswil; introduced 1952. (Boebel 2011; Church 2007; Haworth-Booth 1984; Lawson-Hall & Rothera 1995; van Gelderen & van Gelderen 2004; Association Shamrock 2022)


'Hortfire'

Mophead, near macrophylla

Synonyms / alternative names
Hydrangea FIRE ISLAND

(Seaside Serenade® series) Sepals ruffled and serrated, white edged pink or simply pink; remontant. Height to about 1.2 m. Selected 2013 by Cornelis Eveleens of Dutch nursery Kolster, but marketed by Monrovia from 2018 in North America; protected by US Plant Patent 29,058 (Boebel 2018; Dirr 2021; Monrovia 2023; Google Patents 2024).


'Hortmacodre'

Mophead, near macrophylla

Synonyms / alternative names
Hydrangea MAGICAL® COLOURDREAM

Awards
AGM

(Magical® / Series) Sepals deep pink at the margin grading to almost white at the base, with serrate margins. Leaves olive green; fairly compact, open habit; height to about 1.2 m. Introduced 2013 by Kolster BV, the Netherlands. Protected by European Plant Breeders’ Rights (Foster 2023; Royal Horticultural Society 2018).


'Hortmahar'

Mophead, near macrophylla

Synonyms / alternative names
Hydrangea EVERLASTING® HARMONY
Hydrangea MAGICAL® HARMONY

Awards
AGM

(Magical® / Everlasting® series) Flowers typically an unusual pale purplish pink (bluish shades are possible), ageing attractively, in weatherproof heads on strong stems, over a long season. Leaves olive green; height to about 1.2 m. Selected before 2010 by Kolster BV, the Netherlands; protected by European Plant Breeders’ Rights (Boebel 2018; Foster 2023; Royal Horticultural Society 2018)


'Hortmani'

Mophead, near macrophylla

Synonyms / alternative names
Hydrangea NEWPORT
Hydrangea NINGBO

(Seaside Serenade® series) Flowers purple / deep pink; stems strong; height to about 1.25 m. Selected 2013 by Cornelis Eveleens of Dutch nursery Kolster, marketed in Europe as NINGBO, and by Monrovia in North America as NEWPORT; protected by US Plant Patent 28,085 (Dirr 2021; Monrovia 2023; Google Patents 2024).


'Hortmarhaso'

Mophead, near macrophylla

Synonyms / alternative names
Hydrangea MAGICAL® RHAPSODY

Awards
AGM

(Magical® series) Sepals thick, slightly cupped, with fimbriate margin; lime green. Open, rather lax habit; height to about 1.2 m. Introduced 2013 by Kolster BV, the Netherlands. Protected by European Plant Breeders’ Rights (Foster 2023; Royal Horticultural Society 2018).


'Hortmawin'

Mophead, near macrophylla

Synonyms / alternative names
Hydrangea MAGICAL® WINGS
Hydrangea EVERLASTING® WINGS

Awards
AGM

(Magical® series) Sepals with fimbriate margin, pale green opening white, sometimes with some red staining at the margin, ageing green; not prone to sun scorch in the RHS trial. Open, bushy habit; height to about 1.2 m. Selected before 2010 by Kolster BV, The Netherlands. Protected by European Plant Breeders’ Rights (Foster 2023; Royal Horticultural Society 2018; Magical® Hydrangeas 2024).


'Horwack'

Mophead, near macrophylla

Synonyms / alternative names
Hydrangea GLAM ROCK
Hydrangea PISTACHIO®
Hydrangea SCHLOSS WACKERBARTH

Sepals a bizarre blend of colours, deep pink and lime green in irregular zones, plus a blue base if given aluminium supplements. Selected 2006 by Katrin Meinl, Germany, with ‘AB Green Shadow’ as seed parent. Licensed through the Hydrangea Breeders Association; protected by US Plant Patent 25,577 and European Plant Breeders’ Rights. A successful novelty in the pot plant trade, marketed in Europe as both SCHLOSS WACKERBARTH (Saxon® Series, Royalty®Series) and GLAM ROCK, in North America as PISTACHIO® by Star Roses and Plants®. Both rival breeder Michael Dirr and impartial Tim Boebel cast doubts over its open garden performance (Boebel 2018; Dirr 2021; Hydrangea Breeders Association 2024; Google Patents 2024)


Hovaria® Series

A European range marketed and mostly bred by German father-and-son nurserymen Koos & Wilko Hofstede, introduced between 1994 and 2006. Several have passed the test of time as quality garden plants. At the core of the range are their own cultivars; we describe ‘Hobella’, ‘Hobergine’ and ‘Hopcorn’, others are ‘Holibel’, ‘Homigo’ and ‘Hopaline’. Other breeders’ cultivars have been marketed alongside them, including Japanese ‘Love You Kiss’ and ‘Mirai’, with H. arborescens ‘Hayes Starburst’ very much an outlier. (Hovaria 2018; Association Shamrock 2022)


'Hsopr015'

Lacecap, serrata

Synonyms / alternative names
Hydrangea MAGIC PILLOW

Sterile flowers blue / pink, fertile flowers pigmented. Dwarf but spreading, to about 50 cm tall; red/purple autumn leaf colour. Like the better known ‘Opri310’, a Belgian selction of H. serrata made by Harry Van Trier and introduced by Oprins, before 2010. (Royal Horticultural Society 2024; Signature Hydrangeas 2024; Association Shamrock 2022)


'Hymmad I'

Mophead, near macrophylla

Synonyms / alternative names
Hydrangea QUEEN OF PEARLS

(Royal Majestics® Series) Flowers opening through shades of green to white. Leaves shiny dark green, deeply veined; stems claimed as strong; height to about 1.5 m. An open-pollinated seedling of H. ‘Veitchii’ selected 2002 by Michael Dirr, University of Georgia. Molecular evidence suggests that the pollen parent was ‘Mariesii Grandiflora’ (two lacecap parents giving rise to a mophead is not necessarily surprising, since the mophead trait is recessive). Protected by US Plant Patent 18,294. (Dirr 2021; Google Patents 2024)


'Hymmad II'

Lacecap, near macrophylla

Synonyms / alternative names
Hydrangea MIDNIGHT DUCHESS

(Royal Majestics® Series) Sterile flowers pale pink to more or less white, apparently never blueing, with non-overlapping sepals; fertile flowers blue/pink; inflorescences sometimes with more than one ring of sterile flowers. Shoots dark red-purple; height claimed to about 1.25 m. An open-pollinated seedling of H. ‘Nigra’ (hence the dark stems) selected 2002 by Michael Dirr, University of Georgia. On molecular evidence, Tim Rinehart, USDA, suggested that the pollen parent was ‘Mariesii Grandiflora’. Protected by US Plant Patent 18,282. (Dirr 2021; Google Patents 2024)


'Hymmad III'

Lacecap, near macrophylla

Synonyms / alternative names
Hydrangea PRINCESS LACE

(Royal Majestics® Series) Sterile flowers white, developing a light blue/pink flush; fertile flowers lightly pigmented. Shoots strong; height claimed to about 1.25 m, but even the raiser now admits that it does not bloom consistently. An open-pollinated seedling of H. ‘Veitchii’ selected 2001 by Michael Dirr, University of Georgia. On molecular evidence the pollen parent is thought to be one of the variegated H. macrophylla cultivars. Protected by US Plant Patent 18,341. (Dirr 2021; Google Patents 2024)