Hydrangea Section Macrophyllae Cultivars S

'Sabrina'

(Dutch Ladies Series) Flowers with entire sepals, white edged pink to red, apparently not blueing at all readily; best grown in light shade. Leaves reddish-tinted; compact, height around 1 m. Selected 2002 by Daan van der Spek, the Netherlands and still widely available in Europe, as well as New Zealand. Protected (as ‘Sidasab’) by US Plant Patent 20,146. It is most unclear which is the correct, prior cultivar name. (Foster 2023; Woodleigh Nursery 2023; Google Patents 2024; Association Shamrock 2022)

The mophead Hydrangea macrophylla 'Sabrina' has white sepals edged pink to red, and seems not to blue readily. (Private garden, Plougrescant, Brittany, France; 24 July 2013) Image Guillaume Mamdy.

Hydrangea macrophylla 'Sabrina' has held its place in the European nursery trade more than 20 years after its introduction (private garden, Plougrescant, Brittany, France; 24 July 2013). Image Guillaume Mamdy.

'Sadie Ray'

Flowers light blue/pink, remontant. Height to 1.5 m; good autumn leaf colour possible. Found by Tim Eizinger at an Indiana farmhouse where it was said to have bloomed annually for 50 years, even when cut to the base in cold winters. Like ‘Bailmer’, a good candidate for USDA Zone 5 gardens, and perhaps sharing its genetic heritage. Very like the latter; Tim Boebel feels it has larger inflorescences but smaller sepals. Distributed in North America. (Boebel 2011; Dirr 2021; Association Shamrock 2022)

'Sandra'

(Dutch Ladies Series) Sterile flowers with serrate sepals, white edged purple / red-pink, apparently not blueing at all readily; fertile flowers white; best grown in light shade. Compact, height around 1 m. Selected 2001 by Daan van der Spek, the Netherlands and still widely available in Europe. Protected (as ‘Sidasand’) by US Plant Patent 20,145. It is unclear which is the correct, prior cultivar name. (Foster 2023; Woodleigh Nursery 2023; Google Patents 2024; Association Shamrock 2022)

Hydrangea 'Sandra' / 'Sidasand' has pink- to purple-edged sepals on the sterile flowers (private garden, Ayrshire, UK; 24 August 2023). Image Julian Sutton.

Saxon® Series

A long-running series of primarily pot plants marketed in Europe by the Hydrangea Breeders Association. Most have been new, protected varieties – we include ‘Horwack’ (SCHLOSS WACKERBARTH); a few early ones were pre-existing cultivars e.g. ‘Schneeball’ (Hydrangea Breeders Association 2024; Association Shamrock 2022).

'Schneeball'

Flowers with pure white sepals, in very large heads to 25 cm across. A bulky 2 m shrub needing careful siting to look its best; if too dry it flowers poorly, while full sun or wet weather disfigure the flowers; popular as a nursery show plant. Probably selected 1952 by German breeder Brügge. (Church 2007; van Gelderen & van Gelderen 2004; Ashwood Nurseries 2024; Association Shamrock 2022)

Flowers of Hydrangea 'Schneeball' are easily trashed by rain or bright sunlight (private garden, Ayrshire, UK; 24 August 2023). Image Julian Sutton.

Hydrangea 'Schneeball' has large white mopheads (private garden, Ayrshire, UK; 24 August 2023). Image Julian Sutton.

'Schöne Bautznerin'

Flowers blue / red-pink, but tending towards pink, in large flattened heads on thick, very sturdy stems. Height to about 1.5 m, standing up well to bad weather. Introduced 1970 by Hermann Dienemann of the Gärtnerische Produktionsgemeinschaft Bautzen, Germany. (Foster 2023; van Gelderen & van Gelderen 2004; Royal Horticultural Society 2018; Association Shamrock 2022)

Hydrangea macrophylla 'Schone Bautznerin' RED BARON, a German cultivar, has strong stems known for standing up to bad weather (Wageningen University Campus, The Netherlands; 18 September 2021). Image Guillaume Mamdy.

Flowers of Hydrangea macrophylla 'Schone Bautznerin' RED BARON tend towards pink (Wageningen University Campus, The Netherlands; 18 September 2021). Image Guillaume Mamdy.

Hydrangea macrophylla 'Schone Bautznerin' RED BARON has large, flattened inflorescences (Wageningen University Campus, The Netherlands; 18 September 2021). Image Guillaume Mamdy.

'Seafoam'

Sterile flowers white or palest blue/pink; fertile flowers pigmented. Leaves dark green, glossy, height to 1.5–2 m, tolerant of wind and coastal exposure but not very hardy. A reversion of the very old mophead ‘Joseph Banks’ to essentially wild-type H. macrophylla, found by Michael Haworth-Booth on the Isle of Wight, UK, before 1950 (Church 2007; Foster 2023; Haworth-Booth 1984). Largely of historical interest but still quite often seen in coastal gardens.

Hydrangea macrophylla 'Seafoam', a lacecap reversion on 'Joseph Banks'. Image Maurice Foster.

Seaside Serenade® Series

A Monrovia brand marketed in North America from 2016, which includes a couple of lacecaps alongside mostly Dutch-bred mopheads and a token H. arborescens (‘Smhamwm’ = BAR HARBOR) (Boebel 2018; Dirr 2021; Monrovia 2023). We include ‘Hmupsi’ (CAPE COD), ‘Hortfire’ (FIRE ISLAND) and ‘Hortmani’ (NEWPORT).

Seduction® Series

Chinese-bred mopheads with large, long lasting inflorescences bred initially for the cut flower industry, but also marketed in Europe as garden plants. Selected from about 2015 by Yang Yu Yong and colleagues at the South China Agricultural University, Guangzhou. We include ‘Bodalan’ (BELLE SEDUCTION®); others to date are ‘Huakaifugui’ (SWEET SEDUCTION®), ‘Renmiantaohua’ (LADY SEDUCTION®) and ‘YYY Mafour’ (INTENSE SEDUCTION®). (Meilland International 2024; Polish Nurserymen Association 2024; Association Shamrock 2022)

'Selina'

(Dutch Ladies Series) Sterile flowers with entire sepals, purple / red-pink with pale centre, not blueing readily; fertile flowers pigmented; tolerant of full sun given adequate moisture. Leaves with bronze/reddish tints; compact, height around 1 m. Selected 1999 by Daan van der Spek, The Netherlands, and still widely available in Europe as well as New Zealand. Protected (as ‘Sidaseli’) by US Plant Patent 20,124. It is unclear which is the correct, prior cultivar name. (Foster 2023; Woodleigh Nursery 2023; Google Patents 2024; Association Shamrock 2022)

Hydrangea macrophylla 'Selina' has a bronze/reddish foliage and compact form (Le Tournay-Vous, Tournai, Belgium; 21 April 2010). Image Guillaume Mamdy.

'Shakira'

(Dutch Ladies Series) Flowers with entire sepals, white, sometimes ageing pink or bluish. Height to 1.2 m. Selected before 2000 by Daan van der Spek, The Netherlands. (Royal Horticultural Society 2023; Association Shamrock 2022)

Hydrangea 'Shakira' has white flowers, here becoming flecked purple-pink as they start to age (Darley Park, Derby, UK; 28 August 2023). Image Julian Sutton.

'Shamrock'

Sterile flowers double, violet / silvery pink, deepening with age; fertile flowers pigmented. Leaves dark green, height to 1.5 m. A wild find, pure H. macrophylla, collected 1994 on the Jōgasaki Coast of Honshu’s Izu Peninsula by Tetsu Hirasawa and Corinne Mallet; named and distributed in the West by Mallet (Church 2007; van Gelderen & van Gelderen 2004; Hirasawa 2024; Association Shamrock 2022). ‘Jōgasaki’ and ‘Izu-no-hana’ are rather similar, from the same area.

Midori Shiraishi, from Tokyo has sent us this information (September 2025): “Tetsu Hirasawa gave this plant the cultivar name ‘Isobue’ in 2009. Isobue means the whistle-like sound that female shellfish divers, called ama, make when they re-emerge to catch their breath. They do not use air tanks. This form of sea-diving is thought to be 2,000 years old. The rather wistful sound might be familiar to Tetsu Hirasawa as he lives near the Jōgasaki Coast.”

There is confusion around hardiness and naming here. Some report unusually good hardiness (Church 2007), others a hopelessly tender plant (Boebel 2011), admittedly from different climatic perspectives. van Gelderen & van Gelderen (2004) distinguish two plants, a tender ‘Etoile Violette’, and a much hardier ‘Shamrock’. However, the International Register, with which the Mallets are intimately involved, clearly indicates that ‘Shamrock’ is the correct name, giving ‘Étoile Violette’ as a synonym, while noting ‘Two plants, one tender discarded the other named ‘EV’ in France and ‘Shamrock’ in the USA’ (Association Shamrock 2022). The Royal Horticultural Society’s AGM is linked to the name ‘Étoile Violette’. US Plant Patent 16,223 (expired) is to ‘Shamrock’, and implies in apparent contradiction to the Register and other evidence that this was a French-raised seedling (Google Patents 2024). The name ‘Isobue’ appears to have been published only after the others were in circulation, so forms another synonym.

As they first open, the flowers of Hydrangea macrophylla 'Shamrock' are pale (Jardin Shamrock, Varengeville-sur-Mer, France; 19 August 2007). Image Koen Camelbeke (Arboretum Wespelaar).

Hydrangea macrophylla 'Shamrock' (ÉTOILE VIOLETTE) in violet on acidic soil. Image Maurice Foster.

Hydrangea macrophylla 'Shamrock' (ÉTOILE VIOLETTE) was a wild Japanese find (Darley Park, Derby, UK; 28 August 2023). Image Julian Sutton.

Hydrangea macrophylla 'Shamrock' (ÉTOILE VIOLETTE) is a lacecap with neatly double sterile flowers (Darley Park, Derby, UK; 28 August 2023). Image Julian Sutton.

'Shichidanka'

Sterile flowers double, with many rather narrow sepals, lilac/pink, on long pedicels; fertile flowers pigmented. Height to around 1 m; orange autumn colour possible. Japanese origin (Hydrangea Derby 2024; van Gelderen & van Gelderen 2004).

Hydrangea serrata 'Shichidanka' has sterile double flowers on long pedicels (Savill Garden, Surrey, UK; 24 June 2024). Image Julian Sutton.

Hydrangea serrata 'Shichidanka' in lilac mode (Savill Garden, Surrey, UK; 24 June 2024). Image Julian Sutton.

'Shinonome'

Sterile flowers white, faintly tinged blue/pink, double, in a domed inflorescence; fertile flowers white; height to about 1 m. A Japanese find near the village of Shigaraki, between Osaka and Nagoya; the cultivar name could be rendered ‘dawn clouds in the East’. (Foster 2023; van Gelderen & van Gelderen 2004; Association Shamrock 2022)

Double flowered Hydrangea serrata 'Shinonome', a wild Japanese find (Norfolk Botanical Garden, Virginia; 15 June 2007). Image Mark Weathington / JC Raulston Arboretum.

'Shiro-fuji'

Sterile flowers creamy white, double; fertile flowers white; very free-flowering over a long season from June in Southern England; height only about 0.5 m. Rated very highly by H. serrata connoisseur Maurice Foster ‘I sometimes play a game with visitors – if they can find a shoot without a flower or flower bud they can take it as a cutting […] no cutting has ever been taken’ (Foster 2023). A wild find on Mt Ashitaka, Honshu.

Double flowered Hydrangea serrata 'Shiro-fuji', a most beautiful Japanese cultivar (Windcliff Garden, WA, United States; 27 June 2023). Image John Grimshaw.

Hydrangea serrata 'Shiro-fuji' is exceptionally free-flowering (Windcliff Garden, WA, United States; 27 June 2023). Image John Grimshaw.

'Shiro-maiko'

Sterile flowers white. A wild find from the foothills of Mt Fuji, credited to Kenji Watanabe. Essentially a white counterpart to the classic mophead H. serrata ‘Maiko’, although taller growing and less floriferous (Foster 2023; Association Shamrock 2022).

'Shirotae'

Sterile flowers white, double; fertile flowers white; height to about 0.6 m. Long flowering, from June in Southern England, but for Maurice Foster less continuously than in ‘Shirofuji’ which he considers easier to please. Best in a sheltered position with good levels of indirect light. Selected 1950 by S. Okamoto, Japan. (Foster 2023; van Gelderen & van Gelderen 2004; Association Shamrock 2022)

Hydrangea serrata 'Shirotae' as the inflorescences age (Tuckermarsh Plants, Devon, UK; 2 August 2024). Image Jack Aldridge.

Double white flowered Hydrangea serrata 'Shirotae'. Image Maurice Foster.

Hydrangea serrata 'Shirotae' making a very compact shrub at the Garden House, Buckland Monachorum, Devon, UK (19 January 2024). Image Julian Sutton.

'Shōjō'

Sterile flowers large, with 3–5 unequal sepals, white maturing lilac-blue / pink; fertile flowers pigmented; free flowering. Leaves red/purple tinted in good light; height to 1.5 m. Often listed under H. serrata, but considered a hybrid by the Mallets in the International Register. Selected 1992 by Kiyoshi Fujii, Japan (Hydrangea Derby 2024; Pan-Global Plants 2024; Royal Horticultural Society 2024; Association Shamrock 2022).

Hydrangea 'Shōjō' in violet-blue. Image Maurice Foster.

Hydrangea 'Shōjō' growing under tree canopy (Savill Garden, Surrey, UK; 24 June 2024). Image Julian Sutton.

Hydrangea 'Shōjō' in a sunnier position (Savill Garden, Surrey, UK; 24 June 2024). Image Julian Sutton.

Hydrangea 'Shōjō', a free-flowering hybrid (Savill Garden, Surrey, UK; 24 June 2024). Image Julian Sutton.

'Sibilla'

Flowers deep pink / red in large heads, often ageing to metallic ‘antique’ shades. Height to about 1.2 m; ‘a terrific little potted plant’ (Church 2007) which also has open garden credentials. A sport on ‘Alpengluhen’ selected 1964 by August Steiniger, Germany (van Gelderen & van Gelderen 2004; Association Shamrock 2022).

'Smnhsdd'

(Tuff Stuff™ Series) Sterile flowers double, blue/pink; marketed as hardy to USDA zone 5 with cold-tolerant flower buds, remontant, with height and spread 0.6–0.9 m (Proven Winners 2024). Selected 2013 by Spring Meadow Nursery, Michigan, a controlled cross between H. ‘Makd’ (TUFF STUFF™) and an unreleased cultivar H. ‘Smnhmtau’ (Google Patents 2024); released 2018 (Dirr 2021). Protected by US Plant Patent 29,832.

'SMNHSI'

(Let’s Dance® / Flair & Flavours® Series) Inflorescences intermediate between lacecap and mophead, some tending one way, some the other, with 70–220 double sterile flowers and 20–200 fertile flowers; flowers lavender/pink; claimed as an excellent rebloomer, flowering from lateral buds and on new wood. Height to 1.2 m; hardiness claimed to USDA Zone 4. Michael Dirr (2021) notes more or less continuous flower through the season in Athens, Georgia. An open pollinated seedling of ‘Mak20’ (TUFF STUFF™ etc), hence with H. serrata in its genetic heritage. Selected 2014 by Tim Wood of Spring Meadow Nursery, Michigan; protected by US Plant Patent 32,548. The selling name in Europe (Flair & Flavours® Series) is FROZEN SMOOTHIE™. (Proven Winners 2024; Spring Meadow Nursery 2024; Google Patents 2024;

An early inflorescence on Hydrangea FROZEN SMOOTHIE™ (potted plant on sale in a UK garden centre, 31 May 2025). Image John Grimshaw.

The abundance of buds in Hydrangea FROZEN SMOOTHIE™, together with its heritage from H. serrata, is very evident here (potted plant on sale in a UK garden centre, 31 May 2025). Image John Grimshaw.

So Long® Series

A brand comprising remontant mopheads and lacecaps from several breeders licenced in Europe from 2017 by French consortium Sapho (SAPHO 2024). We include the mopheads ‘Coumont’ (SO LONG® ROSY), ‘Monmar’ (SO LONG® EBONY) and ‘Tk02’ (SO LONG® SUNNY).

'Sonmarie'

Flowers lilac / red-pink, tending towards pink. Height to 1.5 m; hardiness to USDA Zone 5 claimed. Apparently a sport on a nursery batch of an unspecified cultivar, selected 1998 by Tony Thompson, Tennessee, and mass-marketed for a while in North America by Spring Meadow Nursery. The US Plant Patent application (PP 20,595) compares it – perhaps significantly – to ‘Alpenglühen’ (ALPENGLOW), claiming a more compact and freely branching habit. (Dirr 2021; Google Patents 2024; Missouri Botanical Garden 2024)

'Souvenir du Président Paul Doumer'

Flowers blue / purple / warm red-pink. Height about 1.25 m; stems can be weak. Flowers very well in Zone 6 for Boebel (2011), although others suggest it may be temperamental. Introduced 1932 by Henri Cayeux, France. (van Gelderen & van Gelderen 2004; Haworth-Booth 1984; Association Shamrock 2022)

'sPg-3-009'

An extraordinary foliage variety, the leaves densely packed on stout stems, thick and cabbage-textured, with deep, coarse teeth ‘as though cut by a child with poor coordination’ (Boebel 2018). Sterile flowers blue / reddish pink, potentially a good deep shade in the blue state. Height to 1.8 m. Marketed in North America under the Garden Debut® brand since 2014. (Boebel 2018; Broken Arrow Nursery 2022; Dirr 2021)

'Spike'

Sepals strikingly ruffled, sky blue / pink, in large heads on very strong stems; height to about 1.2 m. A sport on the cut-flower variety ‘Challenge’ selected 2006 by German breeder Kolk; protected by US Plant Patent 26,826 and European Plant Breeders’ Rights (Boebel 2018; Google Patents 2024). The patent relates to the name ‘Spike’, so for once the selling name rather than the breeder’s reference probably takes priority.

Sturdy Series

A Dutch marketing series used in the early 2000s. We include ‘Nanping’ and ‘Xian’, both previously part of the ‘China City’ Series (Association Shamrock 2022).

'Sumida-no-hanabi'

Sterile flowers double, white, with rather narrow, pointed sepals, tending to face upwards on long pedicels; fertile flowers white. Leaves dark green, glossy, height to 2 m. An old Japanese cultivar of unknown origin, named 2000 by Takeomi Yamamoto, apparently pure H. macrophylla. (Church 2007; van Gelderen & van Gelderen 2004; Hirasawa 2024; Association Shamrock 2022). Genetically it is close to ‘Izu-no-hana’, ‘Jōgasaki’ and ‘Shamrock’, all wild finds on the Izu Peninsula (Reed & Rinehart 2007). Widely grown in the West under several names; the shortened form ‘Hanabi’ is probably commonest. Plants so-labelled with pigmented flowers represent other double cultivars.

Hydrangea 'Sumida-no-hanabi' has upfacing, double sterile flowers on long pedicels. Image Maurice Foster.