Hydrangea was named after Princess Gortenzia, sister of Prince of Holy Roman Empire Karl Heinrich von Nassau-Siegen. Later European botanists- taxonomists called the plant Hydrangea that can be translated as a vessel full of water. In Japan hydrangea is called Adzisay. The name of the flower written in hieroglyphs can be translated as a purple sun flower, flower looking like the purple sun.
Hydrangea symbolises grace, sincerity, and hope. Attention! In Asia hydrangea is a symbol of indifference therefore be attentive choosing hydrangeas for Asian people. For Europeans hydrangea is an embodiment of grace and hope. A lot of nations consider that hydrangea is an amulet. It is believed that hydrangea is able to fight back sicknesses and miseries. 
Flowers are language of nature. It is real and sincere. Learning symbols of flowers we can choose a state and mood that we would like to stress or intensify due to jewelry with real flowers. 
Floriography is symbols attributed to different flowers and used to express moods and feelings.
In the Victorian era the language of flowers was used to express feelings which could not be spoken aloud. The language of flowers finds its roots in the East. Knowledge about the language of flowers was brought to Europe by two women: Aubry de la Mottraye and Lady Mary Wortley Montagu.
In 1789 English botanist Joseph Banks brought hydrangea from China. It quickly became a popular adornment plant. 
In the late ХVIII century French doctor and naturalist Philibert Commerçon brought the flower to France.
This flower was named after Nicole-Reine Étable (married name madam Lepaute) who is famous for being the first female mathematician and astronomer in France. She managed to calculate flight line of a comet from Jupiter and Saturn that was quite an intricate problem in the XIX century. During six months Nicole-Reine was making calculations and later she developed a detailed map of solar eclipse, and revealed a lot of other space secrets. 
Commerçon called this flower potiya (as madam Lepaute). Later another naturalist A. Jussieu substituted this name for hydrangea. As a result of these events it appeared a legend about Hartense Lepaute that entered popular literature. 

Hydrangea tea is ceremonial drink of Buddhists. During Khan-Matsuri, holiday of Buddha’s birth, a small hall of each temple is decorated with flowers. In the hall center it is installed a pool. A statue of new-born Buddha stands in the pool, and people coming to the temple pour sweet tea Amacha made of hydrangea leaves on Buddha’s head. 
Since 1900 its selection has been started. First varieties were bred by French scientists. Already by 60ies of the ХХ century it was bred about 100 varieties of hydrangea.
Hydrangea is used in paintings of many countries and epochs. Beauty and grace of the flower is depicted in canvases of the XVIII, XIX, and XX centuries i European and Asian countries. 
Flowers of hydrangea is so diverse that they can supplement imagination even of the most creative people.