Hydrangeas are resilient and hardy plants for southern landscapes. Most people are familiar with the large, showy pink or blue flowers of the bigleaf or French hydrangea, but look at the entire genus to find a variety of shrub sizes, textures, flower shapes, and colors. Although widely planted in the Southeast, hydrangeas have their origins in both southern Asia and North America. The two Alabama native species are smooth hydrangea and oakleaf hydrangea.