hydrangea

American  

[hahy-drayn-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.

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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

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Other Word Forms

Noun Inflected Forms

• hydrangeas
  plural

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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

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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

I handed her the hydrangea and she immediately smiled and the entire historic, high-ceilinged ticketing concourse lighted up 1,000 watts.

From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 26, 2024

In 2018, the Argentina-born digital designer Andrés Reisinger dreamed up the seemingly impossible chair, made of thousands of pink hydrangea petals, and it set the internet — and design world — spinning.

From New York Times ● Apr. 11, 2023

A door on the ground floor opened up to a skinny backyard, where a mommy cat and her new litter of kittens made their home under a hydrangea bush.

From "The Vanderbeekers of 141st Street" by Karina Yan Glaser

Fat mums and hydrangeas, perhaps punctuated with a sunflower or two, arranged in short vases that don’t interrupt conversation.

From Salon ● Oct. 20, 2026

Plants that are a staple of English gardens—water-loving hydrangeas, rhododendrons, azaleas—will be harder and harder to maintain in southern England and become less common, he said.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 31, 2026

But on a dreary Sunday afternoon last fall, bouquets of white roses and blue hydrangeas enlivened the Spanish marble columbarium where Drakeo the Ruler is interred.

From Los Angeles Times ● Feb. 25, 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

Giant hydrangeas lean over, unable to hold high their giant blooms of pink, white, and lavender — now even heavier with the morning dew — from filling the spaces lining the path.

From "Red Flags and Butterflies" by Sheryl Azzam

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