Flowers that look like Hydrangea may belong to the same Hydrangeaceae family or the common Hydrangea or may be from a different family of plants. Whichever it is, many people find it challenging to find details about different kinds of Hydrangea-lookalike plants.
We have created this list of flowers that resembles Hydrangeas to help you learn all about these plants in particular. Check out the descriptions of the plants that we have provided below.
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List of Flowers That Look Like Hydrangea
1. Egyptian Star Flower
Pentas Lanceolata, often known as the Egyptian Star Flower, is endemic to Yemen and East Africa. It is a tropical evergreen perennial or subshrub which grows to around five feet tall in its natural habitat but about two feet tall in bedding or pots in the St. Louis region. It has dark green elliptic to lanceolate leaves that can grow up to six inches long.
– Features
It has magenta, pink, white, or lilac blooms. It grows best on average, moderate, well-drained soil in full sun or partial shade. This plant grows best in environmentally rich and fertile soil. You should water this plant regularly in times of growth.
It is a multi-branched, slightly spreading shrub with four-inch-wide spherical clusters of star-shaped blooms that bloom from summer until winter.
2. Coral Bells
Heuchera often referred to as Coral Bells, is a plant endemic to North America. It has a thick, sturdy rootstock and pinnately lobed foliage on long petioles.
– Features
This plant is renowned for its foliage, with petals of pink, green, and bronze leaves that are often variegated or textured, and long green, white, red, or pink flowers in springtime.
– Growth Requirements
This plant thrives in a variety of settings and has diverse soil, temperature, and other environmental factors preferences.
It grows predominantly on windy, rocky, saline-washed ocean coasts, but it may also be seen in the hot, dry valleys of Mexico and neighboring Arizona and New Mexico, because thse regions are ideal for the plant. Nonetheless, it would also thrive in the shadow of the Mid-Atlantic area of the United States because it is the ideal hardiness zone.
3. Mountain Laurel
Mountain Laurel, or scientifically Kalmia Latifolia, is a twisted, multi-stemmed, deciduous perennial shrub or small tree endemic to Eastern North America. It has been known by various names over the years, including Spoonwood, Ivy Bush, American Laurel, and Calico Bush.
– Features
It is well-known for its beautiful spring blooms and year-round foliage. It grows as a thick spherical shrub to approximately 10 feet tall, eventually opening up and growing gnarly branches. The Mountain Laurel is mostly a little tree that may grow to be thirty feet tall rarely.
Flowers occur in terminal clusters, generally covering the shrub for many weeks in late May and June, with a frequently outstanding bloom.
– Growth Requirements
It inhabits a wide range of environments, especially open stony or sandy woodlands, chilly meadows, balds, mountain slopes, and woodland edges, especially since this is the hardiness level that the plant needs.
The acidity of the soil should be between 5.0 to 5.5, and you have to be careful with the pH, in addition to this, you must make sure that you do not over water, because the soil cannot bear a heavy amount of water. The latter is the reason why the soil should be a well-draining one.
4. Oakleaf Hydrangea
Oakleaf Hydrangea is scientifically called Hydrangea Quercifolia. It is a herbaceous perennial of the Hydrangeaceae family and endemic to the southern United States, where it may be found in wooded environments ranging from North Carolina through Tennessee, Louisiana, and Florida. It is a woody plant with stunning white flower heads that are planted as a decorative plant.
– Features
The plant develops in colonies and produces branches from subterranean stolons. This plant’s young stems are coated in a light brown bark, while the larger stems have a beautiful caramel bark that separates and strips in thin flakes.
On the other hand, the foliage has seven, five, or three pointed petals and are yellow greenish to dark emerald on top and gray in color below.
It is a medium-grained perennial tree with an expansive crown that grows to approximately eight feet tall.
– Growth Requirements
A well-draining soil is essential for this member of the hydrangea family to grow and to thrive because water must not stay at the bottom. Furthermore, it would tolerate full to partial shades of sun, throughout the day. As if successfully grows, it will foresee a beautiful bunch of blooms in springtime.
5. Crape Myrtle
Lagerstroemia Indica, sometimes named Crape Myrtle, is a deciduous, vertical, and wide-spreading bush or little tree within the loosestrife family. It is native from the Himalayas to Southeast Asia, Southern China, and Japan, but has naturalized in the United States from Virginia and Arkansas to Texas and Florida.
– Features
This plant’s key decorative attributes are an extended flowering time, exfoliating bark, and excellent autumn color. In the summer, terminating, crepe-papery panicles of beautiful flowers with curled petals bloom on tall stems.
Its blooms are normally pink to crimson in the wild but the farmed cultivars’ flower colors have extended to include pink, white, lavender, mauve, and purple.
– Growth Requirements
Slow-release nutrients help this plant thrive in sandy loams or clay soils with adequate drainage so that the roots would thrive as the soil is kept moist. On the other hand, the sunlight that it requires is full and direct sun all day long, a minimum of six hours a day.
6. Panicle Hydrangea
Hydrangea Paniculata is the scientific name of the Panicle Hydrangea which is a kind of Hydrangea. Many attractive varieties have been created, including Big Ben, Phantom, Limelight, Dvppinky or Pinky-Winky, Interhydia or Pink Diamond, and Silver Dollar (good for little gardens).
– Features
The leaves are widely oval in shape, toothed, and around five inches long. Florets may begin pale green and age to white, providing an attractive two-tone look. It is clipped in the spring to produce bigger bloom heads in cultivation.
It develops huge conical spikelets of creamy white productive blooms in late summer, along with pinkish-white null florets. It is a ten-foot-tall, eight-foot-wide deciduous small tree or shrub that grows in sparse woods or brambles in lowlands or on mountainsides.
7. Flame of the Woods
Ixora Coccinea, often known as Jungle Geranium or Flame of the Woods, is a five-foot-tall rounded evergreen shrub. It is indigenous to Sri Lanka, India, and Southeast Asia, but it is now commonly grown in tropical locations worldwide. In southern Florida, it has become a highly popular blooming shrub.
This plant’s major bloom occurs in the summer, but intermittent bloom appears throughout the year. Its blooms are followed by drupes, which are spherical deep purple and black fruits.
It has woody stems that are covered with opposing, stiff, elliptic to rectangular, shiny, dark green foliage that can reach four inches in length.
– Growth Requirements
It thrives best in damp, sour, naturally rich, well-drained, loamy soils. However, you must make sure that it is placed in a location where it will be cultivated in full sun.
8. Bigleaf Hydrangea
Bigleaf Hydrangea is botanically known as Hydrangea Macrophylla. It is also known as Lacecap Hydrangea, French Hydrangea, Penny Mac, Mophead Hydrangea, and Hortensia.
– Features
It is extensively grown in various regions around the world and in a variety of climates. In general, its leaves are serrated. Colors on the four petals of ornamental flowers range from light pink to red, magenta, violet, or bluish.
The contrary leaves are membranous, acuminate, simple, and elliptic to orbicular and can grow to be six inches long. Furthermore, what you should also know about this Hydrangea is that it is a deciduous shrub native to Japan that grows seven feet tall and wide, with huge heads of blue or pink blooms in summer and fall.
– Growth Requirements
In order to see it bloom in spring to summer, you must water it with one tablespoon of lime in a gallon of water in the midst of springtime. Furthermore, the soil must be a moist one that is also loamy in texture and a little sandy and make sure that you locate it in a palace where it will see the morning sun which is lighter and not harsh or heavy.
9. Butterfly Bush
Buddleja Davidii, often known as Butterfly Bush, is an evergreen shrub endemic to China’s mountainsides, limestone outcrops, woodland clearings, and rocky stream banks.
– Features
When not destroyed by low winter temperatures, it normally grows to approximately ten feet in height with a spread equal to or less than that. It is distinguished by its bushy growth habit, arching stems, beautiful, fragrant blooms, and strong growth.
It has naturalized throughout the eastern United States, as well as Washington, Oregon, California, and Hawaii. In Oregon and Washington, it has been designated as a noxious plant.
A portion of eastern states, including North Carolina, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Kentucky, and West Virginia, have witnessed the aggressive expansion of this plant.
– Growth Requirements
It grows best on average, with moderate moisture, and well-drained soils with full light. If not cultivated in full light, it becomes weedy and thin, with reduced flowering performance, and grows poorly in rainy circumstances.
10. Smooth Hydrangea
Hydrangea Arborescens is generally referred to as Wild Hydrangea, Smooth Hydrangea, Sheep Flower, or Sevenbark. These white Hydrangeas are species of flowering tree in the Hydrangeaceae family. The fruits are ribbed and look like brown capsules. Many fruits are grown in October and last into winter.
– Features
Large, opposite, serrated, oval, and deciduous leaves are grown from this plant, as this is one of its prominent features. On the other hand, the bottom surface of the leaves is covered in tiny hairs and appears green.
Lower surface trichomes are limited to the middle of the rib and main veins. The stem bark has an unusual ability to peel off in multiple successive thin layers of varying colors.
Lastly, what you should note about this blooming plant is that it is a comparatively tiny, multi-stemmed evergreen shrub that can grow up to seven feet tall and blooms from May to July.
– Growth Requirements
A rich type of soil is a must for this plant to thrive, in addition to one that is both a bit sandy in texture or loamy. Furthermore, whether you plant it in an area where it will receive full sun or partial shade, this plant will thrive and bloom in the spring. As for the watering requirements, you must make sure that you irrigate it one inch a week, and it will be good to thrive.
11. Tree Peony
The Tree Peony is botanically called Paeonia Suffruticosa. It is a plant that develops to be approximately five feet tall and the same width. The flower shapes of cultivars vary from single to quasi to double, and they bloom in early spring.
– Features
It has moderate green leaves that are deeply split into oblong to orbicular leaflets and looks good all season.
This plant has huge blooms with pinkish to white petals and a purple dorsal patch on each petal and many varieties have been created, with colors red, pink, purple, white, or yellow.
– Growth Requirements
This plant thrives in rich, fertile, medium-moisture, well-drained soil. It thrives in sunny areas to part shade, although it can withstand the summer heat. Before planting, you can add fertilizer as needed.
12. Common Lilac
The Common Lilacs not only look like Hydrangeas but also are quite good hydrangea companion plants. The scientific name of the Common Lilac is Syringa Vulgaris. It is native to southeastern Europe’s open forests, rocky slopes, and scrubby places, but it has been widely grown across North America and Europe.
– Features
It is known for its aromatic, tubular, multiple-lobed, violet to purple blooms that bloom in big cones to limited panicles from mid to late April.
– Growth Requirements
This plant thrives in regular, medium moist, well-drained soils and tolerates mild shadow, but grows best in sunny areas.
13. European Cranberry Bush
If you are looking for flowering shrubs that look like Hydrangeas then the European Cranberry Bush or Viburnum Opulus is an excellent choice.
– Features
It has lacecap-type white flowers in plain florets in spring, hanging clusters of raspberry-like red berries in October, and triple orbicular, maple-like, deep green leaves.
– Growth Requirements
It loves damp loams, but tolerates a broad variety of soils and can thrive on wet or marshy soils in its natural habitat. However, you must make sure that the soil is a well draining one, as you must water it whenever the soil’s texture feels dry.
As you grow it properly, it will blossom first and then produce berries. These berries are theoretically edible; however, they have an extremely bitter flavor and should not be eaten fresh off the bush. After frost, its fruits shrink
14. Chinese Snowball Bush
The Chinese Snowball Bush aka Viburnum Macrocephalum blooms white flowers that look a lot like Hydrangeas. This plant’s florets appear lime green at first but shortly become white.
– Features
It has pubescent, sharply serrated, ovate to elliptical, deep green foliage that is evergreen in the northern reaches of its habitat. Because the blossoms of this shrub are sterile, hence, it produces no fruit.
– Growth Requirements
When you provide it with six hours of sunlight on a daily basis, this bush will thrive, and remember that the soil must be a well-draining one. This plant is not dependably winter resilient, mature plants normally have considerable drought resistance, and you should trim as needed shortly after blooming.
Conclusion
You are now fully aware that flowers that look like Hydrangea not only belong to the same family of plants but also belong to different families. However, to sum up, the plants that we have described here,
- If you are willing to grow plants from the same family of common Hydrangeas you can choose the Oakleaf Hydrangea, Panicle Hydrangea, at similar plants from this list.
- The Common Lilac, Tree Peony, etc. are some flowers that do not belong to the same family as Hydrangeas but you can grow them if you want to have flowers that resemble Hydrangeas.
- If you are a fan of white Hydrangea lookalike flowers and don’t care about the family, you can pick the Chinese Snowball Bush or Smooth Hydrangea to fulfill your need.
Whichever flowering plant you choose from this list will definitely enhance your garden’s beauty.
