Hydrangeas

Question

I would like to give a friend a Hydrangea whose house is just 40 feet from salt water and
a lot of wind and faces south.

Answer 1

Hydrangea macrophylla (bigleaf) is salt spray and full sun tolerant. The Endless Summer and Everlasting Revolution hybrids sound like good matches for your friend's conditions. If you ever travel along Long Beach Island, you will see many, many hydrangeas.