Annabelle Hydrangea

Annabelle Hydrangea (Hydrangea arborescens 'Annabelle') carries the biggest flower heads of any hydrangea we sell: soft white domes that can reach dinner plate size, opening lime, bleaching to pure white and ageing back to green through summer. It grows quickly to about 1.4m tall and 1.5m wide, and unlike the common mophead it flowers on new season's wood, so even a hard winter cut cannot cost you a season of bloom.

Why you'll love it

• Enormous, reliable flowers. Massive white heads every summer, regardless of how cold winter was or how hard you pruned.
• White stays white. Annabelle ignores soil pH. No blue and pink lottery, just clean white into green, in acid or alkaline gardens alike.
• Genuinely frost hardy. It thrives in cold climates, from Canberra and the tablelands through Melbourne and the hills, and handles humid summers too.
• Fast to perform. A young plant makes a full flowering shrub in its second season, so a massed planting reads finished quickly.
• Forgiving to prune. Cut the whole shrub to 30cm in late winter and it rebuilds and flowers by Christmas. It is close to impossible to get wrong.

Where it works best

Mass planting and borders. Plant 1m apart for a continuous drift of white. Three to five along a fence line or under high trees is the classic use, and few plantings look more expensive per dollar.

Feature planting in small gardens. At under 1.5m it fits beds where the old mopheads swallow the space, and the flowers light up a shaded corner.

Pots and containers. A 40cm or larger pot in morning sun suits it well; the flower heads spill generously over the rim.

Growing Annabelle Hydrangea in Australia

Position and climate. Morning sun with afternoon shade is ideal in most of the country; in cool mountain gardens it takes more sun. It is happiest in cool and warm temperate climates. In the subtropics give it real shade from western sun.

Soil. Moist, rich and well drained. Dig in compost before planting and mulch 75mm deep, because the shallow roots dry out first in a heat wave.

Water and feed. This is not a drought plant. Water deeply twice a week through summer, more in heat spikes, and feed with a controlled release fertiliser in spring.

Pruning. In late winter cut every stem back to 30cm to 50cm. Lighter pruning gives more, smaller heads on stronger stems; harder pruning gives fewer, larger ones. Either works.

What to expect when it arrives

Annabelle ships as tubestock (grown to order at times, shown as backorder, and we confirm timing before anything ships) and in 200mm pots sold in packs of six, which is the economical route to an instant massed drift. Tubes establish quickly and usually flower in their second summer; 200mm plants often flower their first. Delivery is Australia wide, from $29.95, and every plant carries our 30 day healthy plant guarantee.

Plant care guides and related reading

• Browse the full hydrangea range
• More plants for partial shade
• Plants for cool climate gardens

Common questions

Can I turn the flowers blue?

No. Hydrangea arborescens does not respond to soil pH the way mopheads do. Annabelle opens lime, turns white and ages green, and that sequence is fixed.

Why do the stems flop?

Very hard pruning produces fewer, heavier heads on young stems. If flopping bothers you, prune to 50cm rather than 30cm, or let plants support each other at 1m spacing.

Is it safe around pets?

No. Like all hydrangeas the leaves and flowers are toxic to cats and dogs if eaten, so plant it where pets do not graze and choose from our pet safe range for chew prone dogs.

Does it lose its leaves in winter?

Yes, it is fully deciduous. The bare framework is brief, and because flowers come on new wood, winter is exactly when you cut it back.