July Shrub of the Month-Annabelle Hydrangea
The smooth hydrangea cultivar ‘Annabelle’ was not named after one lady but two. Two “Belles” from Anna, Illinois, Harriet Kirkpatrick and her daughter Amy, found the original plant while horseback riding (We will assume it was in the woods on their property!) and transplanted the shrub at home, eventually sharing divisions with friends and family. Fifty years later, Bon Hartline of Anna became interested in ‘Annabelle.’ He invited his former University of Illinois professor, Dr. J.C. McDaniel, to visit Anna to study the plant. McDaniel classified and registered it as Hydrangea arborescens ‘Ballerina’ in 1960 but later changed it to Hydrangea arborescens ‘Annabelle,’ honoring Harriet and Amy.
Anna, Illinois, holds an Annabelle Festival every summer and maps out an “Annabelle Trail” around town; Union County Chamber | Annabelle Festival
If you are growing Annabelle hydrangeas in your garden, you know what reliable bloomers they are, unlike bigleaf hydrangeas. Annabelles grow in part shade to full sun reaching 3-5′ and steal the show from early June through late August with their large, long-lasting white blooms that morph from green to bright white and back to green again before turning parchment brown in fall and persisting through winter.
Annabelles are not picky about soil. They can handle dry, wet, clay, or rocky soils and still perform well. This shrub, as it grows more multi-stemmed over time, can be divided and shared, much like the original was in Anna, Illinois.
What I love about this plant;
-It’s a naturally occurring cultivar of our native Hydrangea (Nativar)
-Huge, long-lasting flowerheads.
-Great cut flower or dried flower in floral arrangements.
-Fun history and festival!
-Rabbits leave it alone.
-Can eventually be divided.
What’s not so great;
-Nothing can bring on a torrential summer downpour like an Annabelle hydrangea in full bloom. They will flop or suffer from broken stems due to the heavy weight of the wet blooms. Some larger blooms will flop or bend stems from weight alone. Support structures are helpful, but sometimes, the flowerheads bend or break across the very structure that is supposed to help them. Pruning them down to a third of their average mature height in early spring can help keep the stems sturdier, but it isn’t a sure thing. Planting in protected areas can also be helpful. Using the INVINCIBELLE or INCREDIBALL cultivars are worth a shot. Otherwise, cut the floppy stems off to enjoy indoors or dry them.
-Can get powdery mildew, leaf spots, and bud blight, but I have rarely seen this.
Comments or questions? Email Garden-Lou at gardenloustl@gmail.com
Words and photos by Jo Batzer
© Jo Batzer, garden-lou.com-2024, All rights reserved.
