hydrangea

American  

[hahy-dreyn-juh, -jee-uh, -dran-] / haɪˈdreɪn dʒə, -dʒi ə, -ˈdræn- /

noun

• hydrangeas
  plural

1. any shrub belonging to the genus Hydrangea, of the saxifrage family, several species of which are cultivated for their large, showy flower clusters of white, pink, or blue.

---

hydrangea British  

/ haɪˈdreɪndʒə /

noun

1. any shrub or tree of the Asian and American genus Hydrangea, cultivated for their large clusters of white, pink, or blue flowers: family Hydrangeaceae

---

Other Word Forms

Noun Inflected Forms

• hydrangeas
  plural

Etymology

Origin of hydrangea

< New Latin (Linnaeus) < Greek hydr- hydr- ¹ + New Latin angea, feminine noun based on Greek angeîon vessel; so called from cup-shaped seed capsule

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

hydrangea hydrangeas

The Royal Horticultural Society gardening charity announced this month it is considering moving some of its heat-stressed hydrangea collection from Surrey, southwest of London, to other regions of England.

From Barron's ● Aug. 25, 2026

"When we knew it was the space theme, the most iconic image that sprung to mind was an astronaut, so we thought how wonderful to make a four-metre astronaut out of roses and hydrangea."

From BBC ● May 20, 2026

Statice, strawflower and hydrangea will dry easily and hold their shape for a long time.

From Seattle Times ● Sep. 15, 2023

The authors cooked up a broth of bacteria that produce keanumycin and applied it to a hydrangea plant covered with the fungus Botrytis cinerea, a common blight among greenhouse crops like tomatoes and strawberries.

From New York Times ● Mar. 8, 2023

Then she opened the window and jumped out, falling onto the hydrangea bushes that her Aunt Ferula had planted long ago.

From "The House of the Spirits: A Novel" by Isabel Allende

When it was my house, it was this bright white house with black trim, super pretty, with hydrangeas everywhere.

From Los Angeles Times ● Mar. 24, 2026

To reach Ghorjomi mosque, one of the biggest, we drove up hairpin mountain lanes, edged with blue hydrangeas, until we spotted the minaret.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 30, 2025

These include creating habitats which may make them less likely to venture into vegetable beds and choosing plants less attractive to them or are more resilient to their feeding habits, such as lavender and hydrangeas.

From BBC ● Mar. 13, 2024

In still another space, guests stroll through a cave covered with pink hydrangeas that can be explored through touch.

From New York Times ● Mar. 8, 2024

I noticed for the first time how the hydrangeas were coming into bloom, their blue heads thrusting themselves from the green foliage behind.

From "Rebecca" by Daphne du Maurier