Annabelle hydrangea

[Smart Red]

@Lavender2, you mentioned someone shared that beautiful Annabelle hydrangea with you. Several years later you were able to return the favor and gift part of your Annabelle hydrangea back to her. I have taken two rootings from my Annabelle. Both of them came out as flat mop-heads rather than the huge, white balls of your photo and my 'mother' plant.

How did you take the piece off your plant to get the ball-shaped flowers? I sure would love to get more Annabelles started and obviously I'm doing something wrong.

 

[Nyboy]

Red just bend a branch down so it touches soil, place brick to hold down wait for roots to grow.

 

[Smart Red]

Yah, sure now, Nyboy, and why didn't I think of that?

In truth, I don't even remember what I did to get the two mop-heads separated from my Annabelle. They are lovely in their own right, but Annabelles are truly amazing shrubs in full bloom.

 

[Lavender2]

@Smart Red
I dug divisions from the bush, similar to how you would with lilacs, lifting a shoot with as much root as you can and then chopping off the sucker.

I'm not sure if I have a clear theory as to your flat mop heads but - my bush also has some underdeveloped flower heads. The blooms seem to start out small and flat and then grow larger and rounder through the bloom time. Many sources say to cut Annabelle to, or near, the ground in late fall/winter, as they bloom on new growth. I do not cut mine all the way back because I find that leaving some of the old sturdy stocks help hold up the new big blooms.

The old wood will develop new side shoots but the flowers will be smaller. I have also noticed that the 'old wood shoots' bloom later and don't fully develop round before the bloom cycle ends.

The biggest roundest blooms are on fat new growth coming from the bottom of the bush.

So, if you have cut your new bushes way back, and they get plenty of water, my theory just took a dump and I have no idea what I'm talking about..

 

[thistlebloom]

I used to cut my clients clumps down to 6" at fall clean up, but noticed that they were really floppy in the spring and needed to be caged or at least corraled by twine to keep them from sprawling. Then I read a few years ago that they are sturdier if you wait until very early spring, or very late winter to cut them back, (and not so short).

It's true, they are a lot stronger and can support their blooms when you are more conservative with the pruning.

Anybody have an idea why some of them don't ever get white, but keep a pale green tint on the blooms?

 

[Smart Red]

Thank you, Lavander2. I will cut the new ones down to the quick and hope they learn a lesson about flowering correctly.

@thistlebloom, I have no idea why some never get fully white. Some of mine are like that some years. Could the weather make a difference? I will remember about cutting them down. I tend to wait until the spring to do my cutting, and have never cut the 'mother' lower than about 3 feet and I've never had a problem with the blooming thing.