Hydrangea Meanings and Symbolism

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1 What do hydrangeas symbolize?

2 What do the different hydrangea colors mean?

3 Hydrangea Facts & History

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Reviewed by Stina Garbis

Last Updated: September 29, 2025 References

Hydrangeas brighten gardens with their vibrant colors and sweet clusters of flowers, but these plants represent much more than botanical beauty. With many positive and negative connotations, hydrangeas can be the perfect gift for romancing a lover or for turning down an overeager suitor. Keep reading to learn everything you need to know about hydrangeas and what they symbolize, so that the next time you gift a bouquet, you get the right point across.

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Section 1 of 3:

What do hydrangeas symbolize?

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   Hydrangeas can symbolize heartfelt emotions. Giving hydrangeas can be a gesture of any sincere emotion such as love, passion, and gratitude. This makes it a great gift option for romantic partners, friends, and family members.

   • In Asia, gifting someone a pink flower lets them know that they are the beat to your heart.
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   In Japanese legend, hydrangeas are a symbol of apology. The legend goes that an ancient Japanese emperor, who focused too much on business, neglected his lover. In order to express his remorse and beg for forgiveness, he gifted hydrangeas to the girl and her family.

   • This legend has also made the hydrangea a common flower to place on loved one’s graves, where they can symbolize gratitude, understanding, and making amends.
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   Hydrangeas can sometimes represent vanity. The hydrangea can represent boasting or bragging about false accomplishments as the plant has lots of flowers but drops very few seeds.

   • Get the right point across when gifting hydrangeas to a loved one by pairing them with another summer plant like marigolds, which can represent the beauty of the sun and lasting optimism.
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   Hydrangeas symbolized frigidity in the Victorian era. Slighted suitors would often send hydrangeas to women who had rejected their romantic proposals in “revenge” bouquets that implied that the women were heartless and frigid.

   • It was also believed that young women who grew hydrangeas in gardens were cursed to live their lives as spinsters.
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Section 2 of 3:

What do the different hydrangea colors mean?

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   Blue hydrangeas represent both apology and frigidity. Taking root in the story of the Japanese emperor, blue hydrangeas can symbolize remorse, apology, and asking for forgiveness, as well as appreciation of understanding.

   • It’s a modern phenomenon for couples to give each other blue hydrangeas for their 65th wedding anniversary to communicate a deep love between two people.
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   White hydrangeas symbolize purity and innocence. White hydrangeas are used to represent purity, innocence, and grace and pair well with prosperity-bringing peonies in bridal bouquets.
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   Pink flowers symbolize love. Perfect for an anniversary gift, pink hydrangeas represent love, affection, and heartfelt emotions for couples.

   • Actress Blake Lively even opted to feature pink hydrangeas in her bouquet when she married actor Ryan Reynolds in 2012.
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   Purple hydrangeas represent wealth and abundance. They can also represent a desire for deeper connection between two people, making them a great gift for new friends and for romantic propositions.
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Section 3 of 3:

Hydrangea Facts & History

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   “Hydrangea” comes from the Greek phrase for “water barrel.” The flower gets its name from the Greek words for water (“hydra”) and jar or vessel (“angos”) because of its cup-shaped flowers and its need for consistent watering.
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   Hydrangeas are native to Asia and the Americas. The flower was first cultivated in Japan where countless different varieties bloom in full force throughout the summer rainy season.
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   The colors of hydrangeas are determined by the soil. Blue hydrangeas grow in more acidic soil, while pink flowers bloom in soil with more neutral pH; white and purple hydrangeas prefer soil with a pH somewhere in between.

   • When growing hydrangeas, add organic materials, like coffee grounds or citrus peels, to your soil to make it more acidic and yield blue flowers.
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   Hydrangeas are a traditional fourth anniversary gift. Meant to symbolize two people growing closer together in understanding, the hydrangea has become a traditional floral arrangement for couples celebrating four years of marriage.
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• Question

  How do I keep my potted hydrangea alive?

  

  Rachel Guffey
  Plant Specialist

  Rachel Guffey is a Plant Specialist and the Owner of Jungle House, a house plant shop based in Lawrence, Kansas. She specializes in plant education and caring for indoor plants. Rachel is passionate about using plants to help combat seasonal depression. She aims to make plants feel more accessible and approachable to everyone. Rachel has owned over 500 plants at one time.

  

  Rachel Guffey

  Plant Specialist

  Expert Answer

  Keeping a hydrangea indoors and happy can be a difficult task if not provided with enough bright light. I would recommend indirect bright light indoors (such as a south facing window) and not allowing the soil to dry out completely. Make sure to remove the hydrangea from any decorative wrapping before watering!

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