Remember grandma's hydrangeas? In the summer, she always had big fluffy "snowballs" of blue or pink blooming in her yard.

When I first started gardening, I learned that you could change the color of hydrangeas. If you added aluminum to the soil around your hydrangeas, the hydrangea would produce blue flowers. Adding lime in the fall would prevent the hydrangea from absorbing aluminum and hopefully reward you with pink flowers the following summer.

I also learned that they were tough plants and could survive digging up and being replanted. That was about it.

They were great plants, a bit unattractive in the early spring when they were nothing but a bunch of big sticks standing on end, but otherwise, my hydrangeas and I developed a satisfactory mutual understanding that they would grow and bloom despite a somewhat careless approach to their maintenance.

I've recently developed a different attitude toward hydrangeas.

I've been bitten by the hydrangea bug, an insidious creepy-crawly that forces its victims to disregard the cost of gasoline and visit every nursery within 100 miles to check out the hydrangeas.

I find myself shamelessly eavesdropping on conversations on the relative merits of lace-caps, mopheads and Oakleafs. My teenage daughter, who occasionally deigns to accompany me on these forays, was hysterical with laughter at a three-way conversation about the availability of Pee Wee vs. PeeGee, or was it Pinky Winky that they had, and I wanted Pee Wee?

Hydrangeas are currently enjoying a renaissance. Those big pompoms of blue and pink growing in your grandmother's yard were probably mopheads.

Interestingly, these hydrangeas of the species microphyla are not native to the U.S., but rather, were developed from plants and seeds brought to the U.S. from Japan via Europe. The cultivar "Endless Summer" produces a full set of blooms at least twice each summer.

Mopheads are only one type of flower found in the species microphyla or Bigleaf Hydrangea. Some Bigleafs produce flowers called lace-caps, best described as flat flower heads with centers of fertile flowers surrounded by open, more striking sterile flowers. The combination of the small center flowers surrounded by outer rings of the sterile flowers forms a structure that, if you don't look too closely, does resemble a lace cap.

Bigleaf hydrangeas do best with some shade and a moist environment.

Two hydrangea species are native to North America. The first is quercifolia or Oakleaf hydrangea. True to name, plants in this species bear leaves shaped like those of the oak tree.

The Oakleaf varieties tolerate more sun and somewhat drier conditions than their Bigleaf cousins.

In the fall, the leaves of the Oakleaf light up your garden in red, orange and yellow. Oakleaf flower heads consist of many separate flowers loosely placed on conical-shaped panicles.

Flowers are generally white, fading to pink and then tan as the season progresses. Generally large-ish, Oakleaf hydrangeas provide a long season of interest in the garden. There are dwarf cultivars available, the aforementioned PeeWee being one, for smaller gardens.

The second native species is H. arborescens, or smooth hydrangea. As it grows in the wild, smooth hydrangea is not particularly remarkable appearance-wise.

However, plant breeders have been busy at work with this shrub, resulting in the stunning Annabelle, which produces huge white flower heads, up to 10 inches in diameter, and blooms reliably every year.

Annabelle is versatile in its growth requirements and will adapt to different conditions; however, it does best with morning sun and afternoon shade or dappled shade throughout the day.

Another hydrangea species gaining popularity is paniculata. Native to China and Japan, this shrub features a pyramidal or cone-shaped panicle for its flowers.

The most common cultivar is Grandiflora, commonly called PeeGee (for paniculata Grandiflora). PeeGees can get very large — 8 to 10 feet tall is not uncommon. Flowers are initially white, turning to pink later in the season and prolonging their period of interest in the garden. Paniculatas do best with several hours of sun.

Pinky Winky is a paniculata cultivar that has two toned white and pink flowers. The flowers are held upright on stiffer stems, providing a different look than the graceful droop of some of the other cultivars.

Whatever size your garden, whether you have lots of shade or lots of sun, there is probably a hydrangea that will suit.

There are many cultivars available at local nurseries, not just the ones mentioned above. Most are hardy in our growing zone.

The hydrangea, whether you choose a classic or one of the newer varieties, will add beauty, color and structure to your yard or garden.

Susan Struthers is a Master Gardener with the Penn State Master Gardener program.