Have you ever wondered which hydrangeas are actually worth your time, money, and garden space? After years of growing dozens of varieties in our upstate New York zone 6a garden, we decided it was time for some brutal honesty. So we invited hydrangea expert Sky Hamilton from Hamilton House Designs (Boise, Idaho) to help us rate every single hydrangea in our collection on a scale of 1 to 10.

What followed was three gardeners walking through our garden, sharing completely unscientific but deeply experienced opinions about each variety. Some scores will surprise you, others might make you rethink your hydrangea wishlist, and a few might even cause some friendly gardening drama.

Our Rating System: No Sugar-Coating Allowed

Before we dive in, here's how we scored each hydrangea:

• 10/10: Must-have perfection. We'll grow it forever.
• 5/10: Pretty neutral. Takes it or leave it.
• 1/10: Total flop. Probably getting pulled out.

We considered factors like bloom reliability, winter hardiness, growth habit, maintenance needs, and overall garden performance across very different climates—from our humid northeastern summers to Sky's high desert conditions in Idaho.

The Smooth Leaf Champions (Hydrangea arborescens)

Invincible Sublime: The Perfect Hedge

Eric's Score: 10/10 | Sky's Score: 8.5/10 | Christopher's Score: 10/10

Let's start with our superstar. This smooth leaf hydrangea forms our stunning foundation hedge, and after just three years in the ground (planted in 2022), these plants have reached full size. What makes them exceptional is their reliability—they bloom on new wood, so you never have to worry about winter damage affecting next year's flowers.

The blooms start fresh green and age to a richer, deeper green with subtle variegation. Even after our recent torrential storm, they stood tall and strong—a testament to their excellent stem strength.

Why it's a winner: Foolproof blooming, excellent stem strength, beautiful color progression, and perfect for hedging.

Invincible Spirit 2: The Pink Powerhouse

Eric's Score: 10/10 | Sky's Score: 9.5/10 | Christopher's Score: 10/10

This might be Eric's favorite smooth leaf hydrangea, and for good reason. These four plants, grown as a tight drift, produce an incredible succession of pink blooms that fade to a beautiful bisque color. What's particularly exciting this season is how they're pushing new growth quite high above their first flush of flowers.

Garden science bonus: The Mount Cuba Center's comprehensive study ranked Invincible Spirit 2 as the top smooth hydrangea in the country for health, strength, and pollination value. It's also the most sun-tolerant smooth leaf variety, making it perfect for challenging locations.

Feel-good factor: Every purchase supports breast cancer research—you'll see the pink ribbon on the plant tag.

Wee White: The Reliable Workhorses

Eric's Score: 10/10 | Sky's Score: 5/10 | Christopher's Score: 9/10

Our collection of ten Wee White hydrangeas (four in full sun, six getting overhead irrigation) proves that reliable doesn't have to mean boring. These dwarf smooth leaf hydrangeas pack an incredible number of blooms onto compact plants, transitioning from bright white to green as they age.

The difference in performance between overhead irrigation versus drip irrigation was fascinating—the overhead-watered specimens showed less bloom burn after our hot, humid weather.

The Big Leaf Reality Check (Hydrangea macrophylla)

Sky View: The Continuous Bloomer That Lives Up to Its Name

Eric's Score: 10/10 | Sky's Score: 10/10 | Christopher's Score: 10/10

Unanimous 10s don't happen often, but Sky View earned every point. This big leaf hydrangea is a Serrata hybrid, making it extra cold hardy while maintaining that coveted continuous blooming habit.

What sets Sky View apart is its incredible resilience. Both Eric's and Sky's specimens died completely to the ground during harsh winters, yet came back to bloom beautifully. You can actually see the bloom progression on our plants—from older flowers starting to age, to fresh blooms with pistachio centers, to emerging buds.

Pro tip: The Serrata hybrid genetics give this variety superior bud hardiness compared to traditional big leaf hydrangeas.

Let's Dance Can Do: The Most Controversial

Eric's Score: 5/10 (with a question mark) | Sky's Score: 1/10 | Christopher's Score: 7/10

We almost came to blows over this one. Let's Dance Can Do represents an incredible breeding breakthrough—it flowers along the entire length of the stem, not just at the tips. The science behind it is impressive, but the aesthetic results are... divisive.

Sky's reaction was priceless: "Pick a lane! Are you a lace cap? Are you a mop head? What's happening here?"

Eric, who previously rated this a 10/10, had to face reality during our honest assessment. While he appreciates the breeding innovation and wild flower shape, even he had to admit it's been underperforming in recent seasons.

The Disappointing Big Leaf Varieties

Seaside Serenade Cape Lookout: 0/10 across the boardThree seasons in the ground, beautiful foliage, zero flowers. These are getting pulled this fall and replaced with better-performing varieties.

Let's Dance Lovable: Question mark/10Newly planted specimens that died back over winter. We're giving them another season before final judgment.

The Panicle Powerhouses (Hydrangea paniculata)

Quick Fire Fab: The Fan Favorite

Eric's Score: 10/10 | Sky's Score: 20/10 | Christopher's Score: 10/10

Sky's enthusiasm was infectious—she literally scored this 20 out of 10. Quick Fire Fab takes everything great about the original Quick Fire and amplifies it with denser, more substantial blooms featuring distinctive star-shaped florets.

These panicle hydrangeas are the workhorses of the hydrangea world—blooming on new wood, handling full sun, and providing excellent dried flowers for arrangements.

Firelight Tidbit: The Perfect Middle Ground

Eric's Score: 10/10 | Sky's Score: 10/10 | Christopher's Score: 10/10

Another unanimous winner. This compact panicle hydrangea grows about three by three feet and produces an incredible number of blooms for its size. Sky created an entire hydrangea wreath from just three small plants in their first year—that's impressive flower power.

The deep red-pink fall color makes these exceptional for dried arrangements.

Pinky Winky Prime: The Future Superstar

Eric's Score: 12/10 (anticipated) | Sky's Score: 9/10 | Christopher's Score: 8.5/10

While many hydrangeas are being bred smaller, Pinky Winky Prime goes big—eventually reaching 8-10 feet tall and wide. Eric is convinced this will become his all-time favorite hydrangea once it reaches maturity.

The flower-to-shrub ratio is already impressive, and we can only imagine how spectacular it will be at full size.

The Mountain Variety Experiments (Hydrangea serrata)

Tough Stuff Top Fun: The Improved Classic

Eric's Score: 10/10 | Sky's Score: 6/10 | Christopher's Score: 7.5/10

This improved version of the original Tough Stuff (which scored poorly for lack of blooms) incorporates re-blooming genetics and stronger performance. The lace cap flowers can shift from pink to purple based on soil pH, and we're already seeing interesting color variations within individual blooms.

Winter protection note: We covered these plants over winter, which helped them maintain more wood and bloom more successfully.

Original Tough Stuff: The Disappointment

Eric's Score: 3/10 | Sky's Score: 1/10 | Christopher's Score: 3/10

A cautionary tale about older varieties. Despite being called "tough," these plants died to the ground and produced zero flowers. Sometimes breeding improvements really do make a difference.

The Oakleaf Excellence (Hydrangea quercifolia)

Gatsby Pink: The Unanimous Choice

Eric's Score: 10/10 | Sky's Score: 10/10 | Christopher's Score: 10/10

Our oakleaf hydrangea earned perfect scores from all three raters. Gatsby Pink combines stunning lace cap blooms that transition from white to pink with excellent fall foliage and strong stem structure.

Care tip: Oakleaf hydrangeas bloom on old wood, so resist the urge to prune them. Let them reach their full 6x6 foot potential for maximum impact.

The Reality of Regional Differences

One of the most fascinating aspects of our rating session was seeing how the same varieties perform differently across climates. Sky's high desert conditions in Idaho (10 inches of rain annually) versus our humid northeastern climate created some interesting contrasts:

• Sun tolerance: Sky can only grow panicle hydrangeas in full sun, while we have more flexibility
• Water needs: Our natural humidity versus Sky's irrigation requirements
• Winter protection: Different strategies needed for similar hardiness zones

The Hydrangea Count: How Many is Too Many?

After rating every variety, we embarked on a high-speed count of every hydrangea in our garden. The final tally? 191 hydrangeas—and we're not even sure Sky was impressed or concerned about our addiction level.

Our Final Favorites by Category

Eric's Top Picks:

• Big Leaf: Sky View
• Mountain: Tough Stuff Top Fun
• Smooth Leaf: Invincible Spirit 2
• Panicle: Firelight Tidbit (though Pinky Winky Prime may steal the crown)
• Oakleaf: Gatsby Pink

Sky's Champions:

• Big Leaf: Sky View (of course!)
• Smooth Leaf: Incredible
• Panicle: Quick Fire Fab (her 20/10 winner)
• Oakleaf: Gatsby Pink

Christopher's Selections:

• Panicle: Pinky Winky Prime
• Big Leaf: Sky View
• Everything else: "I'll defer to Eric and Sky"

The Bottom Line: Choose Wisely, Garden Boldly

After rating over 25 hydrangea varieties, a few key lessons emerged:

1. Newer isn't always better, but sometimes it really is—breeding improvements in re-blooming, stem strength, and cold hardiness can make dramatic differences
2. Know your climate limitations—some varieties will always struggle in certain conditions, no matter how much you want them to succeed
3. Continuous bloomers are game-changers—varieties like Sky View that bloom on both old and new wood provide insurance against winter damage
4. Don't be afraid to edit your garden—even we're pulling underperformers to make room for better varieties

The most important takeaway? Every garden is different, and what works in our zone 6a upstate New York garden might perform completely differently in your conditions. But hopefully, our honest (sometimes brutal) assessments will help you make more informed choices for your own hydrangea adventure.

Ready to see all these hydrangeas in action? Check out our full hydrangea rating video tour to see exactly what we're talking about, and don't forget to follow Sky Hamilton at Hamilton House Designs for more amazing hydrangea content and garden inspiration.

Thanks for growing with us!