I'm thinking that unless you're in an acid soil region like east TX, you're in for an uphill battle.

We bought 3 from Home Depot a few years back and put them in the ground. They did come back the following spring barely, and finally gave up on them later in the year.

I'm guessing the summer heat plays a role in their demise here too.

There is a house down the street from me that has a pink mophead that has been there at least 8 years or so that is about 5 feet tall and probably 6-8 feet wide, planted on the north side of their house. Some years it is gorgeous, other years it's ok but not knock out showy. There is another house in town that has a blue mophead that is gorgeous this year - never noticed it before, but it's highly unusual for them to be blue in our alkaline soil and water. I think they can be done if you have a lot of time to baby them. I had a "bluebird" (lacecap) hydrangea for about 10 years that had beautiful blooms for a few of the 10 years but mostly it just did OK to not so hot. It was planted with azaleas so got azalea fertilizer, and was right next to a sprinkler head. I finally gave up on it and removed it 2 years ago. I have a variegated one (lacecap) that I've had for about 20 years, and it blooms every year, but I just keep it for the variegated foliage. Then there's the oakleaf hydrangeas that are native here. I have a Sikes Dwarf that does very nicely in dappled sun/shade.

Here's a great site for info on Hydrangeas from the National Arboretum.

They love the cold, but need some shade in heat. There is a new Hydrangea called Endless Summer that is supposed to be more heat tolerant. It's expensive so I haven't tried it yet.

I am trying some Forever and Ever Hydrangeas bought on sale at Lowe's just to see if they work here.

Here is a link that might be useful: Hydrangeas

That is a great link and I appreciate everyone's input. I don't think they are for me since they don't tolerate heat and need constant moisture, regardless of sun exposure. Those blue ones sure are purty though, so I'll put a small potted one in a bright window and enjoy it while it lasts!

I baby them and they do okay. I have them in pots on a shady porch, mostly. I like lacecaps but have a couple of rebloomers (Endless Summer and Forever and Ever) on the East side of the house. I am having to shade a new one I bought with a small umbrella in the hottest part of the day. I love them so much, it's worth it to me.
The ES was a clearance plant and it has taken off finally, after a few years. It made it through Ike, so it's a winner with me.

I have some miniature ones I got off QVC in a pot that have done well and bloomed all year long in a pot for the past 2 years. I had another one from Lowes in a pot and it bloomed the first year. Never again for the last 3 years after I put it in the ground, lol.

They do ok for me. I've had them in the ground for 5 years now, on the east side of the house. They DO like lots of water.
Jim

I have some that I do not baby. They are on the east side of the house. I forget to water them and they droop. I do water 1 a week if needed. In the driest of summer twice. I was still at one weekly before the rains came last week. We hadn't had rain in a month and it was in the upper 90's

I have the smaller variety: Endless Summer and Lace cap Lady in Red. I prefer Bluebird.

I fertilize once a year. I also have Alice Oakleaf which is getting huge and one that came as a get well plant which hasn't grown very well at all.

Check out Endless Summer.

The blue color comes from aluminum. I get pink and fertilize with azalea food.

I have an ENDLESS SUMMER. Its been in the ground for 4 years. It was loaded with light pink blooms all summer last year. But kind of sparse so far this year. The foliage looks great - and its grown to about 4 ft.x 3 ft. thick and lush. It gets morning sun til about 1:00 and is a thirsty plant. It gets the run-off from the porch WHEN it rains. It's an easy plant to root new starts from. I've started 2 additional plants off it.

I live in the Dallas area and have wonderful luck with hydrangeas. I had a lady stop the other day and tell me she has been watching mine for three years and needed advice because she wanted to plant some. First and foremost, they like mostly shade but if well watered, will take some sun. I bought all the "need help" plants (various) at Lowe's last summer and even the ones in pots came back beautifully. Hydrangeas bloom on old and new wood so DO NOT CUT THEM back if you want heavy blooming. I learned the hard way. I am poor at fertilizing but they don't care. I give them a couple shovels full of composed cow manure each Fall. They like water, water, water. I have some on the east side and north side of my house. I highly recommend them for those who are willing to pay close attention to the watering needs.

I do have Oakleaf hydrangeas in the only shade I have on the east side of my house,and they do fine there. It's really true about the water because the little one still in the plastic I bought it in at the grocery just drooped and I dumped tons of water into that little pot and it just sucked it all up!

They need morning sun, and afternoon shade, and need to kept adequately watered. I have one in a large pot, and it doing well, and one in the ground, that is a little hardier, variegated type, that so far, is doing fine. It is in very amended soil.

My potted one is left out in winter, and comes back in the spring. It is in its 3rd year.

I tried some dwarf ones, in full shade, and they did ok for a couple of years, but they just didn't get enough sun.

I am so glad I read this thread! I LOVE hydrangeas but have not had the nerve to try them. If they do well on the east side of a house, I have a place that needs them! YAY!

i have three on the east side of the house they get watered twice a week with the sprinkler system and are doing well
before the sprinkler system they were kinda pitiful

they are in front of the house and i wish they were elsewere because they are just sticks in winter

At the risk of talking everybody to death, I did want to add that some hydrangeas sold in floral shops or heavily marketed during Mother's Day just about everywhere, are not suitable (in many cases) for outside planting. They are raised specifically for gifting and will croak when exposed to the real world. Best to stick to those meant for landscaping purposes. Several of them are mentioned in this thread.

I have several hydrangeas and they bloom profusely. I keep blooms in the house and they'll last about a week. We have lots of shade and different colors. Try them!! Ours are perennials and we love them!!

I am a transplant from California and definitely missed my beautiful hydrangeas. Last spring I put two on the north side of the house, just shy of the area where the sun peeks over, and they LOVE it. Endless Summer, though they're bright pink due to the soil. I give them coffee grounds and eggshells when I remember, and I've got soaker hoses loosely wrapped around their root zones, watering twice a week. Bright indirect light, that's what they need.

You MUST PROTECT THEM in the winter, almost lost all bud growth this last harsh winter. The best one I've seen is a guy from up north put a wired cage around them and filled the cage with the dried leaves from his property's trees and that protected well. Honestly, I don't know if you guys up in Dallas have long enough cold days to warrant that, but they should be protected nonetheless.

Good luck!