1 / 5Key characteristics
- Family
- Hydrangeaceae
- Height
- 3 to 5 feet
- Width
- 3 to 5 feet
- Flower color
- Green, maturing to white
- Foliage color
- Dark green
- Bloom time
- Summer
- Light
- Partial shade to full sun
- Water
- Moderate
- Maintenance
- Low
- Growing zone
- USDA zones 3 to 9
- Wildlife
- Attracts butterflies and other pollinators
Shrubs
Hydrangea arborescens ‘Green Dragon’
Green Dragon Smooth Hydrangea
Hydrangea arborescens 'Green Dragon' is a unique and striking shrub known for its distinctive lime-green flower heads that add a fresh, vibrant touch to the garden. The large, dome-shaped blooms emerge in mid-summer, featuring a mix of tiny fertile flowers surrounded by showy, petal-like sepals, all in varying shades of green. As the season progresses, the flowers take on subtle hints of cream, adding depth and interest to the display.
Works well in
- Shade Gardens
- Foundation Plantings
- Woodland Gardens
- Cottage Gardens
Companion plants
Aucuba · Camellia · Epimedium · Foamflower · Cyclamen · Hosta
Design tip
The deeply lobed foliage is as important to ‘Green Dragon’ as its flowers. Treat the unusual leaf shape as a textural feature, allowing it to provide distinctive visual interest throughout the season, before and after the green-to-cream summer blooms.
More shrubs
Rhododendron 'Cunningham's White'
Cunningham's White Rhododendron
Blooms white flowers; may have a yellow-green or light blotch/marking in the throat
Partial shade to filtered sun
Hydrangea macrophylla 'Monmar'
Blue Enchantress Hydrangea
Blooms sky blue (acidic soil) or pinkish (alkaline soil); flowers mature to cream splashed with green
Full sun to partial shade
Hydrangea arborescens 'Abetwo'
Incrediball Smooth Hydrangea
Blooms pale green, turning white as they age
Partial shade to full sun
Hydrangea paniculata ‘Limelight’
Limelight Panicle Hydrangea
Blooms lime green, maturing to creamy white, then pink in fall
Full sun to partial shade