A soft scale, Pulvinaria hydrangeae Steinweden, 1946 has been observed in large numbers on various host species in urban areas and natural habitats in Central Poland, and may be noteworthy as a potential pest of commercial and forest plants. Basic diagnostic information on this scale, as well as information on its life cycle, host range and distribution are provided. Pulvinaria hydrangeae resembles the cosmopolitan P. floccifera (Westwood, 1870), and the main characteristics that distinguish these two species from each other are discussed. A key to adult females of the Pulvinaria species found outdoors in Poland is also included.