Azaleas, hollies, yews, mahonia, gardenia, loropetalum and boxwood shrubs will look good planted in front of hydrangeas. Azaleas blossoms will provide early color. You can select your favorite blossom color since the azalea blooms will have faded before your hydrangea is flowering.

How do you landscape hydrangeas?

Use hydrangeas with vivid colors to brighten up dry or drab areas in your landscape. They need more water than most shrubs, so you may want to add an irrigation system to keep them happy—however, they don’t like soggy soil and need good drainage.

Can you put rocks around hydrangeas?

I’m not a big fan of rock mulch, other than in an occasional rock garden – hydrangeas aren’t rock garden plants. … Without the organic matter there is no environment that would attract living organisms needed in the soil to benefit the soil structure and add the nutrients needed naturally for plants to thrive.