Showstopping Flowers

The beautiful blossoms of graceful 'Annabelle' hydrangea will find a special place in your heart.

Hydrangeas are the flowers of friendship. Perfect strangers will stop to admire the blossoms and often discover a special bond with the gardener-a shared love of this fine plant. Of all hydrangeas, none delights more than 'Annabelle.'

An Exceptional Plant

'Annabelle' is a stunning selection of our native smooth hydrangea (Hydrangea arborescens) that lives in woodlands across much of the South. It grows about 4 feet tall and wide and has beautiful medium-green leaves. Because a single plant can look a bit unkempt, especially in winter, it's better to plant this hydrangea en masse, which will also increase the summer show.

Large, globe-shaped blooms emerge over many weeks, beginning in early summer. First a light green, they gradually turn a beautiful white. As flowers wane, they become light green again and finally turn a beautiful pale brown by summer's end. Blooms can be 12 to 14 inches across.

These hydrangeas are easy to grow. Plant in light shade. Morning sun, with protection from the late-afternoon sun, is ideal. They love rich, well-drained, moist soil with lots of organic matter such as peat or composted manure. Mulch with pine straw or chopped leaves.

Lots of Flowers

Patrick Snider, gardener at Oxmoor Farms in Louisville, knows the secret to producing a bounty of gigantic blooms. "In late winter, cut the plant back to within a foot of the ground," he says. It may seem like tough love, but it works (as you can see in the photo above). This method encourages vigorous new growth on which flowers are borne and promotes large blooms. In addition, he alternates fertilizers. One year he spreads composted manure over the root zone. The next year he uses Espoma Triple Phosphate 0-46-0, a blossom-booster fertilizer. 'Annabelle' responds with blooms.

Friendships can begin among flowers. So plant an 'Annabelle' hydrangea, and expand your social circle. GENE B. BUSSELL

'ANNABELLE' SMOOTH HYDRANGEA

At a Glance

Light: partial shade with morning sun and protection from late-afternoon sun

Soil: rich, well drained, and moist

Blooms: 12 to 14 inches across for six to eight weeks beginning in early summer. They're great for arrangements.

Moisture: Give your plants an extra drink during dry spells.

Prune: Cut back hard in late winter.

Copyright Southern Progress Corporation Jul 2004
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